Give it a Chance
by SilverDawn2010
Summary: "Amy, I've been thinking." Sonic paused. Dang it, only Amy could do this to him. He could see a guarded hope on her face, and he knew that what he was about to say would make her very happy...
1. Introduction: Amy's Birthday

Introduction: Amy's Birthday

Amy Rose sat hunched over her desk, biting her tongue, and tapping her favorite pink pen on her notebook as she looked back over her checklist. It looked like everything was going according to plan: soon all of her friends would be over to celebrate her 13th birthday. It was weird to think that just yesterday, she'd been 12, and today, she was 13. Growing up was a gradual thing, yet it was celebrated as if it was an overnight transformation. She really didn't _feel_ any older, and it wasn't likely she would be treated any different, either.

Amy exchanged papers and sighed at seeing the name at the very top of her guestlist. Thoughts of what _Sonic_ would get her had dominated her daydreams all week, ranging from him professing his love and kissing her to him forgetting to come altogether or being a wet blanket throughout the party.

Sonic was as unpredictable as a box of chocolates - you never knew what you were going to get from him.

Lately, though, he'd been acting strange. Even for Sonic. Amy couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was like he was more...thoughtful, maybe? She'd asked Tails, but he claimed he hadn't noticed anything. Neither had Knuckles. Typical guys.

Amy moved her eyes down the list. Of course Cream and Cheese would come. As would Tails, Rouge, and Knuckles. But Sonic? He was the obstinate one, wasn't he? And he had to be the one she had this humongous crush on. Of course. Love was never easy.

Amy straightened herself out and stretched a little, trying to get her mind off of _him_. She wasn't going to dwell on her rocky relationship with Sonic today. It was her _birthday_, after all, and she wasn't going to let some cocky, arrogant, selfish hedgehog ruin it.

She snuck a glance at the clock. Her party was supposed to start at 1 o'clock, and right now it was 5 til. They'd be here any moment.

Sure enough, she watched as Tails and Cream came, separately, yet they somehow ended up sitting together on the couch. Amy was happy for them, as they seemed made for each other, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at seeing them together. Tails and Cream's feelings for each other were so obvious, yet they were too shy to ever admit it.

Shyness. It was something Amy could never understand; if you liked someone, she figured you had to step up and let them _know_. Yet, shyness had always been what she'd told herself about Sonic, that the reason he never admitted that he loved her was because he was too shy.

But really, who was she fooling? Sonic, _shy_? It was almost laughable to think someone as cool and self-confident as Sonic would be shy or afraid of anything. No, there must be some other reason.

_He just doesn't like you like that, Amy..._

No, it couldn't be true. She saw how he looked at her sometimes, when he thought she wasn't looking. For only a second or two, she could detect some sort of tenderness in his eyes...but only for a second.

Yes, Sonic really did care for her. He just...just...

_So much for not thinking about Sonic today, _Amy thought wryly.

Knuckles and Rouge came next, joking and teasing her about finally becoming a teenager. Amy joked right back, accepting their gifts and taking a solitary seat as the couple took her other loveseat.

Yes, all of her friends were paired up except for her. She was the only one sitting alone. On her birthday.

_Amy, stop it!_

The doorbell rang again, and Amy got up to answer it. It had to be Sonic. Oh, it'd be so nice to see him, wouldn't it? Yes, she would open the door and Sonic would be there, wearing that heart melting grin. He would sweep her off her feet and whisper in her ear "_I've always loved you, Amy_..." and kiss her and it would be so wonderful.

The pink hedgehog took a deep breath and opened the door, ready to behold the dazzling blue hedgehog.

"Hiya Ames. Sorry I'm late," Sonic said, chuckling a little.

Amy was rendered speechless upon seeing him. She didn't know why; usually the sight of Sonic prompted her to smother him in a hug because if she didn't he would run away.

But Sonic wasn't running now. He was standing right outside her door, with the same grin, blue fur, green eyes, red sneakers, perfect quills, looking cool and calm as always. Okay, maybe he looked slightly nervous. And his hands were behind his back.

Amy's heart skipped. What could he be hiding?

Suddenly, in front of her, there was a huge bouquet with flowers of every color, size, and shape. There had to be at least 50 of them. Amy stared at the colors, a little overwhelmed. Most of the flowers were still covered in dew. Amy moved her now-wide eyes up to meet Sonic's and had to smile at how bashful he looked.

"Do ya like it? I picked them myself, fresh this morning," Sonic said, his eyes never leaving hers. "I tried to get one from every place I could think of on Mobius."

Amy took the bouquet, her hands brushing his during the transfer. "They're beautiful." She pictured Sonic zipping around, stopping only to pick flowers, thinking of her.

Amy was surprised at how flustered she was. Although normally a bubbly girl, Amy had always been left speechless at Sonic doing anything nice for her. Of course, it didn't happen often. Maybe it was because she lived in her dreams so often and constantly told herself that they would never come true that when it did...it was like she wasn't sure if she was still dreaming. She needed a few seconds to process it.

"Thank you so much, Sonic," Amy managed to say.

"Aw, no problem. Happy Birthday," he said, and then he winked and all anger or sadness that Amy had felt earlier that day just melted into a warm pool that spread through the rest of her body. She wore a delighted grin as she walked into her kitchen to look for a vase. She didn't know if she had one big enough, so she ended up splitting them up into 3 different ones, and placed them on the table next to her gifts.

Then the whole gang gathered around, and Amy opened her presents with delight, altough she couldn't help but notice that Sonic was quietly watching her the whole time, _staring _at her almost. It was kind of unsettling, but Amy really didn't mind too much.

It wasn't that she didn't like getting the spa set from Cream, Tails fixing her laptop, Knuckles' oh so thoughtful giftcard, and Rouge's gorgeous bracelet, as well as the strawberry cream cake and the singing and joking and laughing. And maybe they all said somethings to her, but as far as Amy was concerned, there was only two people in the room: her and Sonic.

Soon enough, the party was over, and her friends all went on their way, some hugging her, some nodding, giving her a chorus of "Happy Birthdays" on their way out.

Oddly enough, Sonic, usually the first one to leave, lingered when everyone else left. Amy watched him curiously, wondering when he was going to rush off.

"Did you enjoy your party, Amy?" he asked, wearing a simple yet heart-warming smile.

"I did. Thanks for coming, Sonic." He'd been really nice to her today, and she didn't want to make him regret it.

"You know Amy...I've been thinkin'."

Amy blinked, trying to calm her heart down. She had a feeling Sonic was about to tell her something very important.

"I've always seen you as a good friend. You're a valuble memeber to the team, too, and now that you're 13...I was thinking, maybe..." Sonic paused.

Dang it. Only Amy could do this to him. It really didn't matter how many times he'd practiced this, did it? Coming here and seeing her, how she was so expectantly looking at him...Sonic could see a guarded hope on her face, like she was willing him to say what she'd always wanted to hear. He knew what he was about to say would make her very happy. It wasn't that he feared rejection. It was just, once he said this, there wasn't really much turning back.

But Sonic had already considered this. He'd been thinking hard about it for the past few days. He'd come to the conclusion that it wouldn't hurt, in his spare time when he wasn't busy saving the world, to take her out once in a while and spend some time with her. She'd probably be easier to deal with, anyway. But he wasn't doing it to get her off his back, he was doing it...to be nice. Right? He was doing it because she was a good friend and was tired of breaking her heart. He couldn't run from her forever.

Bottom line was, he had to man up and make a decision. And this was what he'd decided. To give it a chance.

_So here I go. _

"Amy..." Sonic continued, studying her green eyes. "Sorry," he said, laughing a little. "It's just, you're 13 now. And I think 13 is a good age to start dating."

There, he'd said it. Sonic watched as Amy's mouth dropped and her eyes got huge, feeling very pleased with himself.

All Amy could do was stare at Sonic as a light blush crawled up his muzzzle. Had he just said...She almost couldn't let herself believe him. She couldn't let herself be let down again.

"Don't you?" Sonic teased, his eyes dancing.

"D-dating?" Amy stuttered.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be ok if I took you out once in a while, like once a week or so...Would that be ok?"

Amy's eyes lit up and her mouth turned upwards. She'd pictured this moment a million times. This really wasn't a dream, was it? "Sonic...do you really mean this?" she asked softly, almost scared of his answer.

Sonic nodded.

"Oh Sonic, you _do _care about me!" Amy squealed and launched herself at him "Oh I _knew_ you did! Oh _Sonic_!" Amy felt her eyes start tearing up as she clutched Sonic close to her.

For once, Sonic didn't try and dodge her or wince or anything. He just stood there, letting Amy hug him, smiling. It wasn't like he hadn't expected this. And he found it made him feel _good_ to make her happy.

Suddenly Amy realized what she was doing "Oh, I'm sorry..." she said, retracting her arms and letting Sonic breathe again.

"It's alright," Sonic said, though he looked a bit flustered.

_Amy, you have to get a grip. __You have Sonic right where you want him so don't ruin this oppurtunity by making him regret this. You have to make him happy, too. Prove him right; you have grown up. _

"Thanks so much, Sonic. You won't regret this, I promise!"

Sonic just smiled. "You ready to go?"

"_Now_?" Amy freaked. She hadn't been expecting this, she looked awful-

"Yes, now. Unless you had something else planned for today..."

"Oh no, I don't," Amy said quickly, painfully aware that Sonic could take off at any minute and have this all be another broken dream.

"Then let's go," Sonic said, taking her hand.


	2. First Date

First Date

As soon as Sonic's hand touched hers, Amy felt like she was going to faint. He held her hand loosely, his fingers intertwined with hers. And he was smiling. Oh, that smile...her heart was going to melt. Amy was about to _actually go on a date with Sonic_. Oh goodness, could she handle this?

"So where do you want to go?" Sonic asked her, trying to break the awkwardness. He hadn't really expected this to happen: Amy staring at him, _blushing_. Why was she embarassed? Sonic had expected her to be giddy and giggly. But if anything she looked a little nervous. Why why why? Sonic would never, ever understand girls.

Amy blinked. Sonic had just asked her something. What? Where did she want to _go?_

Calm down. You have to impress him, remember?

So. What to do...on a fist date. Crap. Why was her mind drawing a complete blank? I mean, it wasn't like she hadn't planned dates with Sonic before a billion times. But now that she was actually about to go on one with him....they all seemed a little silly. Like Sonic wouldn't want to go on any of them.

She met Sonic's green eyes. He was looking at her expectantly. Oh, right-

"Uh, I don't know," Amy said. "What do you wannna do?"

Sonic panicked. No, no, no. This was not supposed to happen. He'd already done his part, the hard part, by asking her. Now it was Amy's turn to take over. He'd take her wherever, of course, but there was no way he was picking.

"Oh c'mon," Sonic said. "You mean you don't have anything already planned?" he teased, sounding way more relaxed than he felt.

_Dude, chill. It's just Amy. _

Oh yeah, that _helped_. It's just Amy. Very funny.

"No, I do," Amy said, fear running through her heart. "I just...I don't want to drag you on something you don't want to do," she admitted.

Sonic blinked. What was she talking about? Hadn't he made himself perfectly clear that he'd do whatever? _C'mon Amy, give me a little credit here. _

"Just try me," Sonic said, smiling encouragingly and squeezing her hand.

Amy studied his green eyes, mentally running through her options. She wanted to impress him so badly..and who knows, this might be her only chance to spend time with Sonic, just the two of them.

"Uh...how about, since I forgot to bring ice cream to the party, we go get some?" Amy suggested.

"Sure thing," Sonic said quickly, relieved she'd said something. "Which ice cream place do you want to go?"

"What do you mean? Everyone knows there's really only one in town..."

"Who said we had to stay _in town_? You like Blizzard, right?" he said, refering to the best ice cream shop this side of Mobius.

"I do," Amy affirmed. "But it'll take too long to get there."

"Too long?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"

_No, Sonic, I know full well that you're here..._ "I know _you_ could, but I'm not as fast as you are."

Sonic chuckled. "Well, yeah, _nobody_ is," he quipped. "But did you really think I'd make you _walk_?"

He let go of her hand, then gently scooped Amy into his arms, one curving around her back and the other wrapped around her knees. Amy looked up at the hedgehog, wide-eyed. He was really going to _carry_ her there? She'd been in Sonic's arms before, but it'd always been because he was trying to rescue her from something. Now it was because he wanted to.

Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog was holding her by his own free will. Amy couldn't help but let out a light squeal.

Amy's smile was a very welcome sight for Sonic. He really liked to see the girl happy.

"This is okay, right?" he asked, fighting his blush, though he knew that was an uphill battle. Especially if he was going to spend the next hour or so with this girl.

"Oh, you can hold me any time you want to, Sonic..."Amy said and wrapped her own arms around him, giggling at his red face. Sonic was cute anyway, but when he blushed he was downright _adorable_.

"Well, I'm gonna go fast, so _you_ better hold on," Sonic said and started running.

Amy had to surpress a yelp. She wasn't used to going from 0-200 mph in one second. _But I can get used to it real quick_, she thought and held tighter onto Sonic, the wind whipping her face.

The two hedgehogs arrived at Blizzard about 30 seconds later.

"So you like banana splits, huh?" Sonic asked Amy as they were waiting in line.

"Yeah, don't you?"

Sonic shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of bananas. I'm more of a chocolate type of guy. But I can never get just one flavor."

"Me neither!" Amy said. "It's so boring to get just one."

"Two scoops, double chocolate chunk and rocky road, on a sugar cone," Sonic told the clerk.

"Strawberry and raspberry for me," Amy said.

"Sugar or waffle cone?"

"Sugar," Amy said. She normally ate out of a dish, but wanted her hand to be free in case Sonic wanted to hold her hand again. She really hoped he would.

"$6.47," the clerk said.

Sonic didn't hesitate and produced a 5 and 2 one dollar bills.

"Oh, thanks, Sonic," Amy said. She hadn't even thought to bring money.

He nodded at her, and the two hedgehogs took their cones and left the shop. Since it was a nice day out, they decided to take a walk as they ate.

Amy transferred her ice cream to her right hand and let her left hand dangle, hoping Sonic would take the hint and her hand. But he was holding his own cone in his right hand, totally oblivious. _C'mon Sonic... _she thought. _Just change hands...._

Sonic noticed Amy was staring at him. "Is your ice cream good?" he asked.

Oh yeah, _ice cream_. "Yeah, it's great," Amy said, and turned back to her cone. It was starting to drip and was getting her gloves all sticky. Now Sonic really wouldn't want to hold her hand. Amy started licking at the top of the cone, and after some damage control she snuck another glance at Sonic. Did he look bored or was she just paranoid?

_Say something, Amy. _She was about to when she noticed Sonic had transfered his cone to his left hand. In one smooth motion, Amy reached over and took his hand, smiling at how well their fingers fit together.

Sonic wasn't all surprised at her suddeness; he was used to it. Normally he pushed her away, because he didn't like being held so _tightly_, but this simple hand holding he didn't mind. Actually, her hand felt warm, and it was a nice contrast to the cold ice cream. _Besides, you're dating her now. _Sonic smiled as he continued licking his chocolate. Amy really wasn't that bad of a girl. She was only tough to deal with when she was mad or in one of her obsessive lovey-dovey moods, and he realized those were likely to get less and less often if he was going to date her.

Sonic turned a little and snuck a glance at Amy. He'd never taken the time to really look at her before. He found it didn't hurt his eyes one bit. He studied her face for a second until her green eyes peeked at him. Sonic looked away, realizing he'd been staring. _Busted._

_Oh, Sonic had been checking her out_. Amy giggled.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just glad you're here with me, Sonic. Thanks for deciding to give this a chance."

"Well, since you're always there for me, I decided it was about time I was there for you. Pay my dues, ya know?" Sonic said, giving her his trademark grin.

Sonic looked at Amy and noticed her eyes were gleaming. It really didn't take much to make this girl happy; she wasn't high maintance at all. Just a simple kindness from him would do the trick. It was certainly much better this way, for them to be on good terms. It made him feel good to make her happy.

Amy had no idea what to say. Here she was again, paralyzed by such simple kind words from Sonic. Why did he have such_ power _over her? "Aww, that's so sweet of you! I won't let you down, I promise."

"I know you won't," Sonic said. "You never have before."

This was like a dream. _Oh please, please tell me I'm not about to wake up and that Sonic is really holding my hand and telling me I'm valuble to him-ohmygosh_! Amy had to grit her teeth to surpress another squeal.

"So...so I'm not boring you?"

Sonic frowned a little, puzzled. Where did she come up with that? "No..."

"You lead such an exciting and fast paced life and this is just walking around with ice cream..."

Sonic laughed, and Amy paused, uncertain.

"No I like spending time with you," Sonic said. "It's just..." his smile disappeared, and Amy's heart sank. "Sometimes you get a little too _clingy."_

"I know, I'm sorry," Amy interrupted. "It's just I like you so much I can't help myself. And I know if I don't you'll just run away," she confessed.

Amy paused as Sonic looked away, obviously embarrassed. Dang it, should she have said that? She didn't know why he got flustered so easily. Especially if he really _didn't_ like her...

"But I won't do it anymore," she quickly added, and was relieved to see Sonic glance back at her.

"Well, how about this: if you promise not to glomp me anymore, I promise not to run away anymore. Deal?"

"Deal," Amy agreed. Seemed perfectly fair to her. "That was the only reason I would glomp you anyway."

"And the only reason I'd run away," Sonic said and he laughed, causing Amy to giggle as well. They were both relieved that they'd come to a compromise, an _understanding_ about their relationship.

Sonic popped the last of his cone into his mouth and swallowed.

Oh wow, he was already finished? Amy was only just now getting to her cone. Knowing how impatient Sonic was, Amy started biting into her cone, trying to finish it. Once she had, she turned back to Sonic.

"I can still hug you, though, right?" Amy asked.

Sonic scratched his head. "Sure, just-"

"Like this?" Amy asked and stepped in front of him, wrapping the hedgehog into a gentle embrace. The girl looked up at him innocently.

Sonic flushed. "Yeah, that's better." _Much, much better_, he added silently. No, this didn't feel bad at all, with her hands now gently rubbing his back quills. And with such a cute expression on her face, only inches away from his....

Amy smiled and rested her head on his chest. She could feel his heart hammering like crazy inside there. Sonic stood there a little dumbly, then slowly, awkwardly moved his arms up to hug the girl back. Amy started gently nuzzling his chest and then let go, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable.

"Thanks, Amy."

That was enough for her.

"So you ready to go on another ride?"

"Where to?" she asked with gleaming eyes, excited at the prospect of being in Sonic's arms again.

"Well, I could take you around for a bit, but I also promised Tails that I'd help him repair the Tornado this afternoon."

"Oh," Amy said, trying to mask her disappointment. _Chill, girl, you can't get too greedy...Sonic's a busy guy, remember? Besides, he's already done this much... _"That's fine."

Sonic smiled. "Alrighty then." He scooped her up and then took off. As promised, Sonic ran around Mobius for a good 10 minutes before taking Amy back home. He set the girl down on her porch.

"Thanks," Amy said to him.

"Any time," he replied. "I hope you had fun. I'll see you later, then."

"Bye Sonic...." she said, and watched as he winked and then took off in a blue blur.

Oh wow she_ had _to tell Cream. Amy ran into her house and started searching for her pink cell phone. Once she found it, she dialed up her best friend.

"Hello?"

"CREAM!" Amy squealed. She had held back her excitement so much over the past hour and now she was ready to gush. "You'll never, ever, ever, _ever_ guess in a _million_ years! The _best_ thing happened today!"

"What did Sonic do?" Cream asked knowingly. Only one thing could make Amy go this crazy.

"SONIC ASKED ME OUT! We went on a _date,_ Cream!" Amy squealed again.

"No way!" Cream said. "Tell me! Tell me _everything_!"

"Oh he's _so dreamy_! We went out and he was so _nice_ and _sweet _the _whole_ time. Oh Cream I'm like_ in heaven _here! I mean, he didn't kiss me but I think he was too shy to but I'm sure we will eventually oh Cream it was just so amazing and ohmygoshI'mreallySonic'sgirlfriendnow," Amy had to stop to take a breath, but that didn't calm her down one bit.

"And we held hands!" the giddy girl continued. "Although he was holding his ice cream on the wrong side for a while there and I was so worried he wouldn't change hands but he did and I grabbed it but he didn't seem to mind. Oh, and then he said he liked that I was always there for him and that he would now be there for me. Isn't that so sweet Cream?"

But Amy didn't wait for her to respond, she just continued gushing about her wonderful date with Sonic, and Cream continued to listen with a smile, genuinely happy for her friend.

* * *

"So why is it that you and Amy start dating and I am the last one to know?" Tails asked Sonic once the hedgehog arrived at his workshop.

Sonic froze. "What!? You mean everybody knows _already_?!"

"Sonic," Tails said, rolling his eyes. "Did you really hope to keep it a secret?"

"No," the hedgehog replied. "It's just...already? I mean, who told you?"

"Knuckles," the fox replied casually.

_Wha? "Knuckles!?!?"_

"Yeah. I think Rouge probably told him. You know how she is. But anyway..." Tails said, and he smiled. "I always knew you liked her."

"Now hold up, not so _fast_," Sonic said, realizing the irony.

Tails tilted his head, his blue eyes holding a puzzled expression. "Wait. You mean you're dating her and you don't like her?"

Sonic shook his head. "No, that's not it, either."

Now Tails was really confused. "Sonic, you either like her or you don't. And since you're dating her now-"

"But not everything is just _logic_, ok?" Sonic said quickly. There was no way he was going to get lectured by his little brother right now. "If only it were that simple."

"It's _you_ that's making it complicated. You're dating her. You like her. There's nothing wrong with admitting that," Tails said matter-of-factly and pointed his screwdriver at him.

Sonic leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling for a bit. "Look, it's like with you and Cream-"

"_Don't _change the subject," Tails said firmly, though he flushed scarlet.

Sonic smiled. "Fine. It's just...I'm kinda in between liking her and not liking her. Maybe I'm leaning towards liking her. Ya know?"

Tails didn't. "Whatever, Sonic. Just be careful, ok? Don't play with Amy's heart. She has that hammer."

"I know what I'm doing," Sonic said confidently.

***********

**I really hope I'm not making them too OOC, but I figured they'd both be a little nervous. But now that they've cleared the air a little, look for Sonic's 'tude and Amy's personality to make an appearance next chapter. I've already got the next few dates planned out, as I'm sure that's what Amy's doing as we speak.... :)**

**I'm thinking weekly updates, since they're weekly dates, especially with me working on A Whole New World at the same time. **

**In the mean time, leave me some reviews! Tell me how I can make this story better, please. **


	3. Something Fun

**Thanks to Samantha27 for the better idea than I had for this chapter. I was planning to do something like this but she added an extra activity, and I added an extra twist to her idea as well. **

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it. :)**

Something Fun

It would be a fair assumption to say that since we last saw our heroine, she'd been dreaming up all sorts of wonderfully romantic dates with her hero. And you wouldn't be too far off. Of course, this was no different than any other week...and yet it _was_ different. Becuase now, they were actually going to_ happen_. Amy didn't have to live in her dreams anymore, because her new reality was that Sonic was willing to "do whatever" with her for a few hours every week.

Oh, but what to_ do_? Amy had had hundreds of ideas for dates before, but now she was considering what Sonic would want to do. She wanted him to be happy, for her happiness sort of depended on his. If nothing else, Amy wanted to impress him, make Sonic _want_ to continue doing this.

It had been her "big sister", Rouge, who had told her: "You need to take it slow, Amy. Sonic is not ready for all that mushiness yet. Take him on some simple, fun dates first so you two will get more comfortable, and then Sonic will be more than willing to do all that romance swmming in your head. The boy obviously likes you, but you have to be patient with him."

She was glad she had someone like Rouge to go to for this type of thing. And it wasn't like this girl didn't know how to wait. So Amy took the more experienced girl at her word and settled on a fun outing in the park. And as much as Sonic hated sitting still, she'd decided to add a little...action as well.

"So what are we doing this weekend?" Sonic asked her over the phone. Now there was a question that would never get old.

"How about we go to the park?" Amy suggested. "I was thinking we could go skating."

"Skating, huh?"

"Yeah, I thought it might even it out a little."

Sonic laughed, and Amy was glad he seemed to be in such a good mood. Had he been looking forward to this as much as she had?

"Well, I don't know how much _that_ will help," Sonic teased, and Amy pictured his green eyes dancing.

"So I guess I'll meet you there, then?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you soon," he said and hung up.

Not wanting to keep Sonic waiting for too long, Amy quickly changed into the more active outfit of jean shorts and a red top and hurried to get to the park. She was impatient to see Sonic as well. Amy hadn't seen him much at all this week. Instead of following him everywhere, Amy had spent her time watching TV, reading, cooking, hanging with the girls.

The happy pink hedgehog finally made it to the park and started the familiar search for blue fur and quills. She eventually found her crush casually leaned up against a tree, his head tilted up towards the sky. She wondered what he could be thinking about. Amy considered sneaking up on him, but as she approached the hedgehog he turned, his eyes getting big upon seeing her.

"Hi Amy," Sonic said and pushed himself off the tree so he could stand upright. He cocked his head a little as he smiled at her. Was it just him or did she look different? Besides the obvious fact that she was wearing different clothes. Something in her eyes, her smile- no, he was just imagining things.

"Hi Sonic," Amy said. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Nah, you didn't," he dismissed. "So you ready to go skating?"

Amy nodded, and the hedgehogs entered the skate shop.

"If I don't get these back we're going to have problems," Sonic joked with the clerk as he handed him his beloved shoes to trade off for skates.

They sat down and started putting them on. Once Sonic had his laced up, he stood and almost fell over. Amy glanced at him.

"Yeah, just not used to these..." Sonic said as he gripped the wall.

"Wait," Amy said. "You mean you've never been skating before?"

Sonic shook his head.

"You're kidding."

"Nope. But I learn quick. It's just like running right?" Sonic said and pushed himself off the wall to gain momentum. He rolled for a bit, and then he lifted his feet and wobbled.

Amy giggled. "Here, let me help," she skated over to him and took his hand.

"No, no, I got it" Sonic insisted and started moving his legs really fast before tumbling down and ending up on the ground.

Amy had to bite her lip and was shaking from unsuccessfully trying not to laugh. "Oh Sonic..." she couldn't resist a giggle and helped him up. "Look, just pretend that you're running. But don't pick your feet up and the end of your stride."

"Ah," Sonic said, the lightbulb coming on. "But that's so natural for me to do that."

"Well, you're going to try something new," Amy said firmly. "Now c'mon."

Sonic moved his feet back and forth, trying to get a feel for the skates. They felt a little heavier on his feet because of the wheels' added weight. _Just take that into account and don't lift your feet, _he told himself.

Sonic clutched Amy's hand as they started slowly skating down the sidewalk. He did _not_ want to fall again. Talk about embarrassing.

"See you're getting it," Amy said.

Yes, he was. It_ was _a lot like running, just a lot smoother. Sonic let go of Amy's hand and started pulling away a little to skate in front of her. She watched Sonic as he started doing tricks like he was born to do them. Jeez, he'd put on skates for the first time just 2 minutes ago and he was already better at this than she was? So much for evening it out.

"Sonic, wait up!" Amy cried out and started putting the speed on to try and catch up to him.

Sonic turned and smiled at her. "C'mon Amy! I know you can go faster!"

"But you said you wouldn't run away anymore!" she protested.

"But this isn't _running_, it's _skating_," he teased her and winked.

"_Son_-ic!"

He laughed and then turned all the way around so that he was facing her and skating backwards, grinning.

_Show off_, Amy thought, but she had to smile when she realized he was showing off for _her. _Wait, was Sonic _flirting_ with her? Now this was something she could get used to.

"C'mon Amy, come catch me!"

"Alright," she smirked. "You asked for it."

Sonic smiled as he watched Amy try her hardest to come and catch him. He would slow down just a little so she would get close and then speed up again. It was like a game. He was just about to put the jets on and speed up when pain suddenly hit him like, well, like a hammer and he found himself on the ground, again.

What just happened? Sonic spun to see what had hit him-

...........A tree?

"Sonic...are you...ok?" Amy panted.

Sonic blinked and then used the offending trunk to bring himself back to his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said as he rubbed his quills. Only his pride was hurt from _that_. He couldn't believe he'd been so entranced from watching Amy skate after him that he'd forgotten to turn around and watch where he was going and ended up running into a _tree_.

A titter of laughter escaped Amy's lips, but she quickly brought her fingers up to her mouth to cover it. The pink hedgehog turned from the blue one, knowing that if she kept looking at him she'd crack up. And Sonic was _so_ sensitive about his ego. Just when she thought her whole upper body would burst from shaking and holding back laughter, she heard Sonic start chuckling. Their green eyes met and then both hedgehogs busted out laughing.

Amy was giggling so hard she fell, too, causing both to laugh even harder, if that were possible. Sonic started pounding the ground with his fists and Amy clutched her now aching sides. Everyone who passed by them stared at the ridiculous sight of two hedgehogs roaring with laughter and rolling around on the ground.

Once they _finally_ caught their breath, Sonic turned to Amy.

"Maybe I should stick to running, huh?" Sonic said as he stood and reached to help Amy up.

"No, I'm going to teach you how to skate _properly_," Amy insisted. "We start by_ facing _the way we're going."

"But it's so much more _fun_ to run into trees," Sonic joked.

Amy giggled and Sonic found he loved the sound of her laugh.

_"_This _doesn't_ leave this park, ok?" Sonic insisted.

Oh, they were already sharing secrets? Amy laughed again. "Don't worry, Sonic, your secret's safe with me."

They started skating in synch, holding hands. Sonic adjusted his stride to match hers. It certainly wasn't too slow. Amy was in good shape from chasing him around, he realized. Sonic found he liked holding her hand- and it allowed them to stay together.

They skated along for awhile, enjoying the nice weather. Every few seconds one of them would start giggling, the memory of Sonic running into a tree still fresh.

"You know, I've always liked it when you chased me," Sonic admitted after they'd gone a little ways.

Amy spun to turn to him. "_Really_?"

"Well, not _always_," Sonic qualified. "But _usually_."

"Why's that?" Amy inquired.

He shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I just like to run and test my skills. You sure kept me on my toes, Ames."

Amy squeezed his hand, unsure of what to say to that. Goodness, Sonic was just being so NICE to her.

Sonic suddenly stopped skating and eyed the arcade they'd just passed. Now there was an idea. He glanced at Amy.

"Whaddya think? You up for some gaming?" he asked her.

Amy considered. She wasn't all that great at video games, but if _Sonic_ wanted to do it, then she wouldn't refuse him. "Sure why not?" she said and followed him into the arcade.

To her surprise, he went right past the racing games. "Too slow," he quipped when he saw her confused expression.

"I didn't know you played video games at all," Amy said. "You practically _are_ a video game, Sonic."

He laughed. "Yeah. But I don't often. Most of them can't compare with real life anyway. I prefer the basic platformers. Do you play at all?"

"Once in a while," she admitted. "But I'm not great."

"We'll see about that."

The hedgehogs played some games for a while, with Sonic winning most of them. Those lightning quick reflexes sure did come in handy. Amy was so proud of herself that she did beat him once, although she realized he probably _let_ her win.

After that, they decided to trade their skates back in. Sonic was glad to get his shoes back on, although skating had been a nice change.

"You know, that was a good idea," he said. "How'd you come up with that?"

"Well, I know that you'd like to actually_ do _something, and this seemed like a nice change."

"So you were thinking of_ me _then?" Sonic cocked his head.

"No, Sonic, I never think about you. Ever," she said and giggled when he started to blush. "So, do you want to grab a bite to eat now or something?" she asked him.

"Sure. Pizza?" he suggested.

"Sounds good to me. But just, remember to pick your feet up again now," she teased him.

In one smooth motion Sonic scooped Amy into his arms and smiled as she wrapped her own arms around his chest. He then took off, and he _did_ remember to pick up his feet. They arrived at the pizza place a few seconds later and after a quick discussion on toppings, they ended up sharing a medium pizza with pepperoni.

After their quick meal, Sonic carried her back to her house.

"Watch out for that tree, Sonic," Amy told him as he was running, unsuccessfully trying to keep a straight face.

Sonic pressed his lips together, but that didn't do much to hold back his laughter. Oh boy, what a date this had been. Sonic smiled and shook his head. Yes, he was certainly going to look forward to these every week. Hopefully he wouldn't be running into anymore trees.

"That was so much fun," Amy said as she lingered at the threshold of her house. "Do we really have to wait a whole 'nother week?"

"'Fraid so," Sonic said. "The world's not gonna save itself."

"That's why we have you."

Sonic smiled and nodded. "Thanks Amy. For everything. I mean, I haven't had this much fun since...just in a long time. Thanks."

The girl was practically glowing. _Yes._ Sonic had fun. She had succeeded.

He then put his hands on her shoulders and Amy was quite sure Sonic was about to give her her first kiss. He was certainly thinking about it, the way his eyes were locked on to her lips. _Ohmygosh ohmygosh he was leaning forward-_

Sonic raised his eyes, a shy smile decorating his now pink muzzle.

"Thanks," he repeated awkwardly. "I'll see ya later."

Amy blinked and then Sonic was gone. _Darn. _She had been soooo close....Had it been her expression? Had she looked too eager? Man, she would have leaned forward herself, if she hadn't been so paralyzed from him being so close to her...

Oh well. Rouge had said she'd have to take it slow. Besides, she wasn't going to let _that_ make her upset. After all, he _had_ been_ thinking _about kissing her. And then Sonic had said he hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Amy walked into her house and sighed contentedly as she went to grab a snack.

Sonic had been so nice to her...he'd treated her like such a good friend and-

Oh, now why that sinking feeling in her stomach? _Friend_...

No, no, he'd almost_ kissed _her. Surely he felt something for her, even if it was only a little bit. Surely. _Surely. _And if he didn't, Amy would do everything in her power to get him _to_ feel something for her.

.....................

_You coward. _

Sonic knew he should have kissed her. He had wanted to, and she certainly wouldn't have minded...but he'd leaned forward and her eyes had gotten big...and he'd just chickened out.

But it was too late now, he couldn't just go back and kiss her _now _that he'd already left. Then he really would look like an idiot. _You coward. You are Sonic the Hedgehog and you can't even kiss a girl. _

Ah well. He'd do it next week. Yes, he _would_. It wouldn't be that hard, he'd just lean forward, nice and smooth, and their lips would touch. No big deal.

_Argh, Sonic, what are you _**_thinking?_** _You are really going to kiss Amy? _

Just the thought of that made his stomach twist into knots. Yes, there was certainly something wrong with him right now. Normally he just plunged into situations without a second thought. And he never, ever felt nervous. But this, _this_ was different.

_Oh my gosh, Sonic, you have a crush on Amy. C'mon, admit it. _

_NO. _He _didn't,_ they were _friends_, he was just being _nice_....

Yes. Maybe she was kinda sorta his true girlfriend now, but she always had been, in a way. But they were still friends. And he didn't _like_ her like that. He was sure of it. Absolutely sure of it.

**Hope you all loved this chapter, I had sooooooo much fun writing this. :) **


	4. The Classic

The Classic

"So... how does dinner and a movie sound for this time, Sonic?" Amy asked him over the phone.

"Sure. Where were you thinking for dinner?" Sonic's deep voice carried through the wires.

"Oh, nothing too fancy," Amy assured him. "I was thinking the Gazebo...?" she suggested, her voice getting high at the end, referring to a casual restaurant.

"Sounds good to me. So I guess I'll pick you up around 5? ish? So we can have time to get to the movie?"

"Jeez, you're a natural at this, Sonic," Amy teased him.

"Well, I'm_ trying_." Wow, that came out way more honest than he meant for it to. "I mean, of course I am." He had to smile though, when he heard Amy giggle at this.

"5 sounds good Sonic, I'll see you then."

Amy smiled and shook her head as she hung up the phone. Sonic, for all his quirks and frustrating habits...really had a lot going for him. She walked over to her closet, knowing she'd have to come to a decision soon concerning her attire for the evening. Cream had gone shopping with her yesterday to get an outfit just for today. Amy really, really wanted to look cute for this date and was agonizing over her choices, but somehow she'd managed to narrow it down to just three.

The pink hedgehog tried on all 3 outfits for the umpteenth time before sighing and picking up her cell phone.

"Cream, I still have no idea what I'm going to wear," she confessed as she played with the ruffles on her skirt.

"Oh, are you still worrying about that?" the rabbit asked her.

"Of course I am."

"Well, you shouldn't be. Sonic probably won't notice anyway."

"Oh,_ thanks_ Cream," Amy said sarcastically.

"No, Amy, what I meant was, he'll like anything you wear."

"Never mind," Amy said and rolled her eyes. She knew she should have called Rouge, but the girl said she was out with Knuckles today. Cream really was no help; the girl was just too young to understand.

"No, Amy, look," Cream said and scratched her head. "Tell me what you have so far."

Amy let out a sigh. "Okay, um, right now I'm wearing the red and orange ruffle skirt with the red top."

"Oh, I like that one. But...you always wear red, Amy," Cream noted.

"I know, but that's because it's Sonic favorite color," she admitted.

"Is it really?"

"I'm pretty sure. I mean with his red shoes and all. That's why I wear it all the time, so he'll notice me," Amy explained.

"Well, he'll be noticing you today. Why don't you try something different?"

Amy bit her tongue. "Well, I do have the pink and green dress..." she said as she smoothed over the shiny fabric with her hand.

"It'll bring out your eyes," Cream said.

"True. But I don't know, Cream. I also have the white skirt with the pink and red top. I really like this skirt I'm wearing now, the orange and red one, but the top just isn't working for me."

"Why don't you put the pink and red one with that?" suggested Cream.

Amy did a quick change and grinned at reflection in the mirror. "Oh Cream you're a genius! You've been hanging out with Tails, huh?"

"_A-my._..." Cream said, and Amy could picture her blushing.

"Thanks Cream. I'll talk to you later."

Amy hung up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up a little, washing her face and putting on makeup. She heard the doorbell ring just as she was putting on perfume and her heart skipped. Had the time really flown by that quickly? No, her clock only read 4:45.

_Oh my gosh, Sonic was** early**._ That meant he was _impatient_, that he _wanted _to go. Well, she wasn't going to keep him waiting any longer. Amy hurried to her door to let him in.

"Hi Sonic," she said cheerfully and was mildly surprised to see his jaw drop for a second, though he quickly closed his mouth.

"Nothing too fancy, huh?" Sonic said as he eyed her cute outfit. He hated how he blushed so easily around this girl.

"Well, I have to look _nice_," Amy said.

"You do," Sonic admitted. Well, at least he wasn't the only one blushing now.

"Aww, thanks, you look cute, too," she giggled. "Although you're early."

Sonic shrugged. "I got tired of waiting. But you're ready, right?"

"Of course. I'll always be ready to go out with you, Sonic."

Sonic cradled his girl bridal style in his arms, smiling how she seemed to fit so perfectly there. She really did look cute now. Sonic wondered if she always did, or if it was just him. He then realized he was staring, and forced his eyes up to watch where he was going. What was wrong with him?

_Ok, so you have a really cute girl in your arms that just happens to be totally in love with you. No biggie. _

Surprisingly enough, The Gazebo was pretty much empty, although Sonic figured it was because they were early. The couple took a booth next to a window and placed their orders. Sonic got chili dogs, of course, while Amy ordered Chicken Parmesan.

"So Amy," Sonic said as he crossed his arms and rested them on the table. "What have you been up to all week?"

"Oh you know," Amy said as she sipped her milkshake, trying to gather her thoughts. "Just the normal stuff. Cooking, shopping, trying to hook up Tails and Cream-"

Sonic laughed.

"What? You know they're made for each other."

He just smiled and shook his head. "I guess. But you know, you should really let them decide that. Don't push 'em, they'll get together when they're ready."

"Oh I know," Amy said quickly, and couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to hint at something about himself there.

"I know you do. Just sayin'," Sonic said and took a sip of his own milkshake. "So what else is goin' on?"

"Well," Amy said and turned her eyes from Sonic for a second.

"Well?" Sonic echoed.

Amy really hadn't planned on telling him this, but couldn't see a way out of it now. Goodness, she was going to sound so lame. She looked back into Sonic's eyes and her heart skipped at seeing his cute, expectant expression.

"I...don't laugh, ok?"

Sonic tilted his head. "Do you really think I would?"

Amy laughed a little nervously. "I...well, Cream and I decided to start taking some art classes. You know, just to pass the time."

"Well, good for you, Amy. Hope you and Cream have fun. I know I wouldn't have the patience for anything like that," Sonic admitted.

"So what have _you_ been up to?" Amy asked him curiously, twirling the straw of her milkshake.

"Oh, you know, save the world one day, do some exploring the next. Life is good right now."

"It is for me too, Sonic, now that we're together," Amy smiled at him, and then tilted her head. "Sonic...can I ask you a weird question?"

He shrugged. "Sure, what is it?"

"What's your favorite color?" she blurted.

The expression on his face was priceless, and Amy couldn't help but smile. Why was Sonic just so_ cute?_

"Kinda outta left field but...Red. Why?"

_I knew it._ "Oh, just wondering. Red's my favorite, too."

"Yeah, I noticed you wear it a lot."

_Oh gosh Sonic noticed something about me. _Amy had to turn to her milkshake for some relief before she started to melt.

The food arrived at that moment.

"_Alright_," Sonic said giddily and wasted no time in biting into his chili dog, but instantly regretted it. "Oh, oh, hot!" he said and forced the offending mass down his throat, wincing as it burned all the way down. He grabbed his milkshake and started downing it like crazy. Even a brain freeze would be better than a burnt tongue.

"Sonic, you okay?" Amy asked from across the booth.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said a little sheepishly, sticking out his burning tongue in hopes of cooling it down. "This happens to me every time."

"Oh _Sonic_," Amy said affectionately and smiled. "If you're this impatient I don't see how you're going to be able to sit through a whole movie."

"Hey, I can watch movies," Sonic said defensively. "As long as they have some action in them."

"So I guess romantic movies are out," Amy said, and when Sonic just blinked, she continued, "So, uh, what movie _do_ you want to watch?"

The blue hedgehog just shrugged. "I don't even know what ones are even out. I haven't been in like forever, not since Knuckles guilted me into going when Rouge was sick."

"Well, we can figure it out when we get there."

The hedgehogs then turned to their food and thoughts for a few minutes, musing. Just then the waitress came by.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, can we get the bill?" Sonic asked.

"Of course."

Amy glanced at Sonic's plate and realized he was almost done. She would have to hurry it up so they would have enough time to decide what movie they wanted to go see. She started chewing faster when the waitress came by with the bill. Amy would have grabbed it if Sonic wasn't so darn fast.

"Sonic it's not fair for you to pay every time," Amy protested.

But Sonic remained firm. "Amy, you're my girlfriend now. And when you're Sonic's girl, you get first class treatment."

Now, if Amy hadn't just completely _melted_ from hearing Sonic call her _his girlfriend,_ she would have continued protesting, but as it was, Sonic was grinning and setting his own money on the table. _Amy, you know you really** are** his girlfriend, right?_ Yes, she did, but to hear _him_ say it...

"Thanks," was all she could muster, blinking.

"No prob," Sonic said, smiling at her happy-shocked, wide-eyed look. He was beginning to like that cute expression; it did something funny to his heart. "Tell ya what. We'll each pay for the movie tickets."

"Okay, that's fair," Amy agreed and finished the rest of her meal, and they two hedgehogs left for the theater. It was a short walk, and the couple enjoyed the setting sun on the way there. They both studied the titles, trying to come to a conclusion.

"Are you two ready?" the clerk asked them.

"Uh..." Sonic said and bit his lip, his green eyes scanning the movies.

"What do you suggest?" Amy asked the clerk.

"Well, the popular movie now is Surrender," the clerk told them. "It's got something for everyone, action, humor, romance..."

Sonic nodded. "Oh yeah, that's the one Knux was telling me about. He said it was good."

"We'll take two tickets then," Amy said firmly and pulled out her purse before Sonic could beat her to it.

Next, they headed for the snack bar, Sonic getting a huge bucket of popcorn and Amy bought the drinks. Since they were early, they managed to score the best seats in the house. Sonic crunched his popcorn absentmindedly as more people filled the theater.

"Don't eat it all yet," Amy playfully scolded him and snatched the box. "Jeez, you've already eaten _half _of it," she exaggerated.

"Hey, I can always go and get more," Sonic said.

"But then you'll miss the movie!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh_ please_, it takes me less than a second to get there."

They were shushed from a few rows back, and Amy shot whoever it was a glare, although she couldn't see in the now dark theater. The girl then turned her attention back to the screen as the previews started. Sonic grabbed the popcorn back from her and smiled playfully.

"Sonic, give it_ back_," Amy whined and tried to grab it from him, but he held it above his head and out of her grasp. Amy reached across him, but even when she put a hand on his chest, the hedgehog just grinned at her and stretched his long arms out to their full potential.

"Fine Sonic, don't _share_," Amy huffed and crossed her arms, pretending to be mad at him, when she really did enjoy the flirting. She pulled out her Raisenets and started popping them in her mouth. Why wasn't Sonic saying anything? She risked a peek at him, but to her shock he wasn't sitting next to her anymore.

_Oh no, he did **not** just ditch me. _

Amy was about to summon her hammer and go on a hedgehog hunt when Sonic returned in a rush of wind, offering her her own bag of popcorn. Amy blinked and then hugged him as he sat down. "Oh Sonic, you're so _sweet_!" The guy just chuckled.

Of course, her squeal prompted another "shush" from a few rows back. Amy spun around.

"Oh, who asked you anyway?" she snapped, but froze when an electric shock ran up her arm from where Sonic grabbed it.

"Amy, _please_," he pleaded. "Just ignore them. They're just being idiots up there."

Even in the dimness of the theater, Amy could make out the soft smile on his lips and the tenderness in his gaze. His fingers were gently, soothingly stroking her arm, and Amy found it was impossible to be mad any longer.

"Besides, movie's startin'," he said and withdrew his hand, back to his normal self, and Amy could breathe again.

Ah, but it was. Amy became so involved in the plot of the movie that she almost, _almost_ forgot that Sonic was sitting right next to her. She was about to reach for another handful of popcorn when she felt Sonic touch her hand and her heart skipped. But instead of intertwining with hers, his fingers clutched popcorn.

"Sorry, mine's out," he whispered an apology.

Of course. Sonic didn't want to hold her hand, he wanted _popcorn. _Amy suppressed a sigh and handed the rest of the bucket to Sonic. He'd bought it, after all.

"Thanks. Good movie, huh?"

And it really, really was. It was a supernatural film about an evil force possessing a child and his father's impossible choice: to save the world or to save his son, for he could only save the rest of the world by sacrificing his son. After an agonizing decision, the man had decided to save to world at his son's expense, even though most of the general population would never hear about this sacrifice. The man's friends and family tried to get the rest of the world to know about it so he could be acknowledged, but the media didn't believe. It all worked out in the end, though, with the child coming back. Although it was mostly a serious movie, it also had some humor and romance in it, too, as well as a happy ending.

"That movie was much better than I thought it'd be," Sonic admitted as he and Amy left the theater into the warm night. They started heading back for Amy's house, Sonic deciding to let her walk so they could talk longer.

"I agree. I think he did the right thing," Amy replied.

"Yeah, but it was tough, though. I hope I'll never be faced with a decision like that - the world or someone I care about," Sonic said thoughtfully, and when he glanced at Amy, she realized that Sonic could very well be in a position like that one day. And she could be that choice.

"_Anyway_," Sonic said with a sigh, not wanting to dwell on dark thoughts and the serious topic for too long. "Thanks for taking me, Amy."

"Taking_ you_?" Amy echoed, surprised at this twist.

"Well, yeah, I mean, who else am I gonna go with? You know it'd take a crisis for a workaholic like _Tails_ to ever leave his workshop, Knuckles has Rouge to go with, and I wouldn't go with you girls..."

Amy tilted her head. "So it's just by process of elimination that you go with me?"

"No, Amy, I didn't mean it that way," he said quickly, but at her sly smile he realized he'd been trapped. "I mean, I like -" _say it!_ "- going out with you."

Amy just smiled bigger. "I like you, too, Sonic," she said and hugged him.

They had gotten to Amy's street, and they walked in silence for a minute. Sonic, of course, was arguing with himself. _Why didn't you just say it?_ Maybe it was because for one of the first times in his entire life, Sonic the Hedgehog was unsure of himself. But why? Ok, sure she was cute. And maybe a little intimidating. But still - she was just a girl. And he was Sonic, after all.

Once they found themselves on Amy's porch, it was awkward again._ Just say goodnight and kiss her gently. No big deal._

But it was a big deal. As soon as he kissed her, things would change between them. And he wasn't quite sure he wanted that. _Yet_, anyway. I mean, yes, they were_ dating_ now, and it wasn't that he _didn't_ like her...

"I'm surprised at you, Sonic," Amy suddenly said, if just to break the awkwardness. "I really didn't think you could sit still for 2 whole hours," she teased him.

"I'm just full of surprises, Ames."

Indeed, he was. And Amy couldn't wait to find out more of them. In fact, the girl was in for another one when Sonic suddenly hugged her, his strong arms holding her close to his body. Amy's heart was hammering like crazy when the guy released her and held her not quite at arm's length by the waist.

"Good night, Amy."

"Good night, Sonic."_ Are you going to kiss me or - _

Not, apparently. No, he'd just left in typical Sonic style, without a warning or a trace.

But still, a _hug_? It certainly wasn't a kiss, but it was better than nothing, right? But did that mean that he _did_ like her and was the next step before a kiss, or that he _didn't_ like her and was just a friendly thing, like he was sending her a message that he wasn't ever going to kiss her?

_Ugh, Sonic will you try and make sense just once? _Amy's mind screamed.

Amy was just left with the old thought that had always comforted her - Sonic was shy. It seemed so silly, especially since he'd been _flirting_ with her and called her his _girlfriend_ and_ hugged_ her... but yet he _was_ shy around her. He always had been; there'd always been that awkwardness, like he just didn't know how to deal with her. He was just...a mystery.

Realizing that she didn't want to spend the rest of the night brooding without getting anywhere, Amy went inside her house and dialed up her big sister. The bat answered on the third ring.

"Rouge...is it okay if Sonic and I haven't kissed yet?" Amy asked her.

"_Okay_?" Rouge echoed. "Amy, you have to realize that every relationship is different. Sonic may just not be ready yet."

"I know but...I'm starting to wonder if Sonic even likes me that way," she admitted.

"As I told you before, Amy, the boy obviously likes you. But you have to be patient with him."

"Don't you think I've been patient enough?"

"Well, have you asked him if he likes you?"

"Well, no..."

"Why not?"

Amy sighed. "What if he says no, Rouge? I...I couldn't take that. And I'm afraid of ruining what we do have. I mean, he's been so close to kissing me twice now, and I know he's thinking about it..."

"You may have to kiss him first, Amy. It'll take the pressure off of him."

She sighed again. "I wouldn't mind kissing him...but what if he pulls away? Oh Rouge, he's so _impossible_!" she whined.

"I know, Amy. Guys don't make sense all the time. But you gotta be patient with that one. And don't worry about it too much, just enjoy having fun on your dates with him. That's what this is all about, right?"

Amy smiled. "Thanks Rouge, you're right."

"Any time, hon."


	5. Decisions

Decisions

"So how are you and Amy doing?" Tails asked Sonic. It was a typical Saturday afternoon. They were hanging out in Tails' workshop, the older and bluer of the two reclining on a workbench.

"Oh, we're just fine," Sonic said quickly, keeping his eyes closed. "Why do you ask?"

Tails cast a sideways glance at him. "Oh, just wondering. You've been acting weird lately and I was thinking it might be because of her."

Sonic opened one eye. "Weird? Whaddya mean weird?"

"Well, not really weird. Just different. More thoughtful," Tails clarified.

Now both emerald green eyes were focused on Tails as Sonic jumped down from one of the only clutter free work benches in the workshop. "There's nothing wrong with me, and if there was it certainly wouldn't be because of Amy," Sonic said firmly.

"Oh, _okay_," Tails said, but had to turn back around to hide a knowing smile. _Still in denial...but he so likes her._ "So have you two_ kissed_ yet?"

"_You little_...You nosy little _squirt_!" Sonic spat.

Tails couldn't help but giggle as he glanced back at his big brother, not at all surprised at the blush now covering his muzzle. "_Oh_, Sonic and Amy, sitting in a _tree_!" he sang and laughed. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Tails! We have_ not _kissed, for your information!" Sonic protested through gritted teeth, though his face felt like it was on fire.

The fox gasped. "What? Why not? You've been dating her for a month now."

Sonic crossed his arms. "3 weeks," he clarified.

"And how many_ hours_?" Tails continued teasing him.

"TAILS!"

The fox chuckled before eyeing Sonic again. "What are you waiting for, anyway?"

Realizing he didn't have a good, solid answer to this ('I chickened out' and 'I just don't like her' wouldn't suffice for obvious reasons), Sonic frowned. "I - I - What do _you_ know about girls anyway?" Sonic snapped. "When are _you_ going to kiss _Cream, **Miles**_?"

The fox blushed and fidgeted at the use of his real name. "Don't you have a _date _you should be getting ready for, Sonic?"

"I do. And at least I'm not_ scared_ to admit that I_ like_ someone."

Tails' mouth dropped about a foot at this accidental confession, but Sonic zipped out the door before he could see the fox fall to the floor and start convulsing with laughter. _Oh he finally admitted it. _

Sonic just _had _to get out of there and quit while he was ahead. Ok, so he'd admitted it. Barely, accidentally, sure. Fine. But it'd only been because he was flustered from being teased by his little brother. Sonic did _not_ like being teased, especially about one of his few weaknesses. He knew better than anyone that he was developing (at the very least) a soft spot for the pink hedgehog. This much he would even admit to Knuckles.

Of course, he'd always cared about the girl. She was just so...quirky. Amy was the sweetest girl he'd ever met, and yet it didn't take much to get her temper flaring. Sonic smiled to himself as he recalled all the times she'd had a temper tantrum and made some serious dents in Eggman's robots. This girl could certainly take care of herself. And when she did get mad, her face got all scrunched up and she looked so cute...

_Sonic. _

_What?_

_You like Amy. It's practically official now. You told Tails and there's no way he's gonna keep it a secret. Now admit it, be honest with yourself. _

_Fine, I like her. But you're not going to get me to admit it to her._

You know you have it bad when you start arguing with yourself.

But why couldn't he tell her? He didn't know. And that bothered him. A lot about this whole thing had been bothering him; Sonic really hated feeling nervous. But it wasn't that he wanted to stop dating Amy; on the contrary, he looked forward to these dates every week. And even though he'd denied it to Tails, Sonic knew that he had been acting different lately. And it _was_ because of _Amy.  
_

Sonic decided that it was about time to touch base with Amy and see what she had planned for them today. They still saw each other during the week, of course; pretty much every day Sonic would take a few minutes to check up on her to make sure she was doing okay. Yesterday, though, he'd lingered longer than he expected and was shocked to find out he'd spent a whole hour at her house. And of course, Amy still came with them on their missions.

Sonic rang her doorbell. She always answered within a few seconds, as if she didn't want to keep him waiting. He appreciated that.

The door opened, and there she was, dressed in another of her adorable new outfits. This one was a pair of pink and green plaid shorts with a kelly green top that brought out her eyes perfectly. Ah, those eyes, those shiny emeralds...

"Hi Sonic," she said and let loose one of her adorable giggles.

He blinked. "Hi Amy." He still hated how much he blushed around this girl. He was supposed to make her go crazy, not the other way around. "So where are we going this week?"

Amy just shook her head, her bang-quills bouncing in front of her eyes as she smiled slyly. "Nope."

"What do you mean_ no_?" Did she not want to go out this week? Why did that prospect upset him so much?

"I mean that _I'm_ not choosing this time."

"Oh no you don't!" Sonic protested.

"Oh yes I do," Amy insisted. "It's not fair for me to choose every time."

Sonic just stared at her. He would have to choose? Well, crap. He was having enough trouble _thinking_ as it was and now he'd have to come up with a place to go?

"Is it?" Amy continued, unsure at his blank expression. It wasn't that she was out of ideas, but Amy wanted Sonic to have some say in what they did. After all, he was half the relationship and deserved to have fun. This wasn't just for her, was it?

"Yeah, it's just...tryin' to think," Sonic admitted. "A little warning would've been nice."

Sonic wracked his brain, trying to come up with something original, but there was just one idea that wouldn't leave his head. So he decided to do what he always did: run with it.

"Twinkle Park."

Amy tilted her head, but smiled. "Really? I didn't know you liked Twinkle Park."

"Oh, I do. It's just I've never had anyone to go with," he said, and then realized just how lame that sounded. What in the world was wrong with him?

Amy beamed and hugged him. "Well, now you _do_. And I'll be more than willing to go with you wherever you want, Sonic!" she said in typical Amy fashion.

"Heh heh," Sonic chuckled nervously, though he found himself enjoying this embrace. He put his arms around Amy's body, holding her close to him, feeling her warmth. Amy sighed contentedly and it made Sonic smile. The hedgehogs stood on Amy's porch for a bit, holding each other.

"You ready to go, Amy?" Sonic asked, as he was getting antsy. Nervous.

"Of course."

Sonic smiled and picked up Amy like she weighed less than a feather, and Amy wrapped her own arms around his chest. Now in their very familiar position, Sonic took off, taking a very roundabout way to Twinkle Park.

Sonic set Amy down and took her hand, and the couple got in line. "The good thing about here is that neither of us has to pay," Sonic joked, referring to the infamous "Cute Couples Get in Free" sign outside Twinkle Park.

"That's true," Amy said, and for some reason both of them started laughing and then locked eyes. Once again, Amy picked up on the unmistakable tenderness in Sonic's gaze. Sonic kept smiling at her, and then he raised a hand to gently brush Amy's bang-quills out of her wide green eyes, leaving their gaze now completely unrestricted.

"Are you two a couple?"

The voice of the clerk brought the hedgehogs back to reality, and Sonic reluctantly turned from Amy's pretty emerald orbs.

"Does it_ look_ like we are?" he said, oozing his 'tude.

The clerk merely shrugged and handed them their passes.

"Jeez, you think more people would know who we are," Sonic muttered as they walked under the colorful entrance arc to Twinkle Park.

Amy just squeezed his hand. "So where do you want to go first?" she asked, willing to let him direct them this time.

Sonic's brilliant green eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the various multi-colored metal appendages of the rides. "Well...I heard from someone that Metal Storm is the fastest roller coaster in the world, and I have my doubts. But I'm willing to test it out."

"I should have known you'd go for that," Amy said.

"Well jeez, I'm not riding on the kiddie rides. Those are _so boring_."

Amy smiled at Sonic, knowing that the boy lived for thrills. She squeezed his hand again and started leading them towards the famous steel roller coaster. Sonic walked right next to her, gripping Amy's petite yet strong hand firmly, content to let her lead them. She apparently knew this place better than he did.

Sonic let out a groan upon seeing just how long the line was for Metal Storm, but Amy smiled at him, and he felt a little better. It was to be expected; this ride was the most thrilling and popular ride at Twinkle Park.

"You know, Sonic, I've never actually ridden on this yet," Amy confessed as they were waiting in line.

"Why's that?" Sonic asked.

"I've always been a little scared to," she admitted and turned from Sonic's eyes to the loops. "But now that _you're_ here with me..."

Sonic chuckled and smiled softly. "Yeah, this is no prob," he said and continued to stare at Amy, enjoying her sweet smile and that weird warmness in his chest.

"What is it, Sonic?" Amy asked quietly, a little unsettled at how he was looking at her. Not that she minded...

"Oh, nothing, just...you're pretty," he admitted softly, _shyly. _

It was impossible to determine who was more shocked by these words.

"You really think so?" Amy asked, blinking rapidly as she watched Sonic's muzzle turn the color of her fur. Had Sonic just called her...pretty?

"Well _yeah_," Sonic said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe, trying to get his ego back. "You think I'd be here with you if I didn't think that?" he said, _way_ more calmly than he felt. Jeez, his heart was beating way too fast right then.

"Well...I...uh...thanks," she babbled and turned away bashfully.

Thank goodness the line had moved up by that time, and Sonic and Amy took advantage of that to break the awkwardness and move forward. At this point Sonic was getting_ very _antsy, and had to hop a little bit from foot to foot to release some nervous energy. Amy glanced at him curiously, again wishing she could read minds.

"Amy...uh, hold my place in line for a second, will ya?" he said and took off before he could see her hurt and confused expression._ So he tells me I'm pretty and then just takes off again? Will he never, ever make sense? _

_Sonic, what in the world is wrong with you, man?_ he wondered as he ran a few laps around Twinkle Park. _Do you realize you just ditched her? She's gonna kill you when you get back. And you promised you wouldn't run anymore. Coward. _

Realizing he better get back to Amy before she killed him, Sonic headed back to the roller coaster line. Amy still had that confused expression on her face, and Sonic realized he couldn't have been gone more than a few seconds. _  
_

Now there was the problem of having to come up with some excuse for leaving._ Uh...I was hungry_? Ugh, why was he suddenly so lame? Sonic didn't know, but he was definitely not feeling like his cocky self.

"Amy you have no idea how sorry I am I just did that. I just had to get away for a sec."

Amy just sighed. "It's okay," she said, though her tone betrayed otherwise.

"No really, my bad," he said quickly, as the last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him. "I made you a promise and I broke it. Once we get off this roller coaster you're free to hammer me all you want, k?"

Amy studied his face. Why did he have to be so captivating yet so...frustrating? As much as she wanted to hammer him...Amy found she just couldn't. It wasn't that she _enjoyed_ hammering Sonic anyway. Besides, he really did look apologetic now. And when was the last time he cared this much about _her_ feelings? She wasn't going to spoil this.

"_I'm sorry_."

"I said it's okay, Sonic," Amy repeated. "Don't get all worked up, you weren't gone that long. But just for that..." Amy smiled slyly. "Next ride we're going on is the_ log flume_."

"_The log flum_e?" he echoed, and his eyes got big in mock horror, though he was a little relieved Amy was back to teasing him again and had forgiven him so easily. Amy really had been calming down recently.

"Yes, the_ water_ rides," Amy said.

It was a darn good thing that it was time to get on the roller coaster. Sonic hopped into the seat next to Amy in the very front of the ride and Amy clutched his hand.

The movement of the roller coaster was an immense relief to Sonic. He fully enjoyed feeling the wind rush through his quills and the thrill of anticipation. Of course, it really wasn't much compared to his running, but it was eerily similar. Kind of like how skating was, similar, but with an odd twist.

And then there was Amy sitting next to him, clutching his hand the whole time. Although she was a little apprehensive while they were ascending the first hill, Amy screamed the rest of the way from the pure thrill of the speed and inertia. She was laughing giddily when they finally got off.

"That was _amazing_," she gushed. "I have no idea why I was so scared before. You're _so_ lucky to be able to do all that and more whenever you want, Sonic."

"Yeah, I am lucky, and I wouldn't trade my speed for nothin' " he said. "But that was cool in it's own right."

Amy nodded. "So, you ready to face your fear now?"

"It's not a_ fear_," he protested. "I just don't like getting wet."

"Too bad," Amy said, and grabbed his arm playfully to pull him toward the log flume.

Oddly enough, Sonic didn't mind getting splashed too much; after all, it was kind of a hot day, and it wasn't like he had to run through it (now there was a nightmare). Besides, they were able to dry off afterward and enjoy a snack by the fountain.

Next up was the Tilt a Whirl, and both hedgehogs emerged from that ride laughing so hard from being whipped around. They seemed to have a mutual, unspoken agreement to ride it 4 more times in a row, each time laughing harder than before. After they'd caught their breath from that, came the classics of the pirate ship, scrambler, and bumper cars. They both agreed to pass on the gravitron, though, as they liked their lunch where it was: in their stomachs. Sonic and Amy then went for the irresistible carnival games. Amy actually ended up winning a prize by her strength with her hammer.

Once again, Sonic found himself having more fun than he'd had all week, just by being with Amy and doing new, different stuff. Sonic hated to be bored, and he'd found Twinkle Park to be anything but. And Sonic liked to be on good terms with Amy, and liked how they seemed to be getting more comfortable together. Although there was still that mystery feeling he couldn't seem to shake. Wasn't sure if he wanted to shake it or not, as it certainly wasn't unpleasant.

Both hedgehogs were absolutely shocked to notice that the sun was getting lower on the horizon and starting to turn the sky orange. How had time flown so quickly? Either way, they knew it was getting time to go home, although they had time for one more ride, perhaps.

Sonic saw that Amy was eyeing the Tunnel of Love, and his heart clenched at the thought of being alone with Amy in that romantic atmosphere. Now the nervousness, the uneasiness, the hesitancy was back. Why was it that Amy was the only thing in the world that could do this to him? Sonic found himself in the unfamiliar grip of paralysis by analysis. Usually he just plunged into situations impulsively, but now he was caught in the confusing web of his feelings.

Did he like her or didn't he? The answer wasn't so clear anymore, though Sonic had a good idea which way he was leaning.

_C'mon, go in the Tunnel of Love with her. It's not gonna kill you. _

Oh, why did this whole romantic thing have to come back again? They'd been having so much fun as friends.

_You care about her more than a friend does, Sonic. _

"C'mon Amy," Sonic said and pulled her towards the entrance, not missing the masked disappointment on her face.

Sonic scooped her into his arms and took off for her house, trying to let the beautiful sunset distract him from his scattered thoughts. No avail.

"So how does Wednesday sound for the next date, Amy?" Sonic asked when they'd arrived.

What? The middle of the week? She blinked. "Sounds great to me, I don't have any other plans."

Sonic nodded. "Good," he said, and it was back to the now all too familiar awkwardness.

_Do not chicken out this time. Just lean forward and kiss her gently. She'll probably melt and then you can get away quick._ Sonic kept looking at her lips...they looked so soft...they were moving.

"I'll see you later, Sonic..." Amy said and turned to go inside, fully expecting Sonic to grab her. But she felt no hand on her arm. Amy wanted to turn and peek at him, but that'd give it away, wouldn't it?_ Any time now, Sonic, you can pull me into your arms, I wouldn't mind._ Amy slowly opened her door and went inside, closing it without a second look. She now stood with her back pressed up against the door, breathing rapidly.

_I can't believe Sonic was about to kiss me...And** I** was the one who ran this time!_

_Well, serves him right_, Amy thought bittersweetly. _For making me wait so long. _

Suddenly all Amy wanted to do was rip the door open, tackle Sonic, and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. But she knew that he'd probably already taken off. And if he hadn't, the door opening would do the trick.

Oh well, she thought again. They'd had a good date, anyway. Sonic definitely seemed to be warming up to her. He'd called her pretty, for goodness sakes! And they'd had so much fun on the rides, although he'd turned down the tunnel of love...No, tonight would not be a sad night for this pink hedgehog. She had enough memories and good times to last her all week. Or at least until next Wednesday.

...

Sonic blinked as the door shut in his face, not believing that for one of the first times in his life, he'd acted too slowly. He was about to reach for the handle and swing the door open, but knew that wouldn't be wise. Besides, how exactly did a kiss work anyway? The kiss was the thing, he knew; it would signify that he actually_ liked_ her. Like she _liked_ him.

He really didn't know how to deal with these type of situations, so he did what did know how to do: run. Sonic just kept running, letting his reflexes and instincts take over, while his mind focused on other things.

Now, running had forever been his refuge, his escape. But Sonic found he just could not escape thoughts of Amy right now, no matter how fast he ran, no matter how loud the sonic boom. Her face just kept popping into his mind and he smiled involuntarily. She was just so cute and nice and sweet...

_Oh why didn't I just kiss her?_

This time, he'd been too late. _Too slow. _

ARGH!_ Why why why did I not kiss her when I had the chance? _

Now he was going to have to wait a whole 'nother week...no, that's right, they'd agreed on Wednesday. Right.

Sonic had to come to a stop. He was just feeling so confused, and confused about why he was confused.

Why was he fighting it? He just didn't know anymore. Yes, he, Sonic the Hedgehog, the impatient, impulsive, cocky hero, was unsure of something. And he wasn't quite feeling so cocky now. He let out a sigh, and then suddenly realized where he was, and where his reflexes had taken him.

He was back in front of Amy's house. Sonic blinked at the familiar brick building and then shook his head before taking off again.

_It's official, ladies and gentlemen: Sonic has lost his marbles. _

The hedgehog was tired now. No, not physically tired. He was tired of the confusing, complicated feelings that were messing with his heart. He wanted answers. So he decided to go visit the only friend that could help him deal with this. Whatever it was.

...xxx...

"Knuckles."

The echidna turned. "Sonic?" he asked and watched his blue friend slowly (slowly?) scale the stairs of the shrine leading to the Master Emerald. "What's up?"

"I need help," the hedgehog admitted.

Knuckles did a double take.

"About Amy."

Knuckles was amazed that Rouge knew people so well; the bat had warned him that Sonic would come to him at some point, confused. Knuckles hadn't believed her, of course; he knew Sonic wasn't the type to admit weaknesses. But of course, Rouge was right. As always.

"You two break up or something?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic shook his head, and frowned a little at that possibility. "No, I just...don't feel like myself."

_No kidding, man._ They'd all noticed it. "How so?"

Sonic sighed. "I don't know, man. I just feel weird around her. Like...I don't know how to act. And you know I don't hesitate to do anything. And I think, maybe, there's a small chance, that I actually have feelings for her," he said quietly.

_No duh, Sonic._ "And you haven't told her." It was more of a statement than a question. "So what is it exactly that you're worried about?"

"I don't know," Sonic said and continued to stare at the ground.

This wasn't normally something that Knuckles would deal with...but there was no way he was leaving his brother hanging like this now. He would deal with him like he knew how. The echidna stood up straight and narrowed his indigo eyes at Sonic.

"You are acting pathetic," Knuckles said plainly. "Look at you, just moping around like this. What has Amy reduced you to? You have to man up and tell her that you like her. Then you'll feel better. Look I know it's hard, but I had to do it with Rouge. What are you scared of anyway? Her reaction?"

Sonic eyed the huge Emerald looming behind Knuckles, and then it dawned on him. The Master Emerald had been what kept Knuckles planted to this very spot for countless days and hours. Sonic hadn't envied him a bit; he knew that lifestyle, even for a day, would kill him. Commitment in general scared Sonic, as he'd been a drifter since the day he was born.

"I just don't want to be tied down," Sonic confessed.

Ah, the truth was out, and it was like an immense weight was lifted from Sonic's shoulders. He turned to look back into Knuckles' indigo eyes.

"So that's it, huh?" Knuckles said, and he recognized the truth of it immediately. "Listen Sonic, Amy's not going to prevent you from running around and doing whatever it is you do, okay? You think she's going to make you change? That's the last thing she wants from you. She just wants you to spend time with her once in a while. Besides, you _need_ something fixed in your life. Roots are what keeps you stable."

"I know," Sonic said impatiently. He didn't like being patronized by Knuckles. He didn't like admitting his faults. "You're right. I just need to man up."

"Bottom line? You need to stop being wishy washy and come to a decision. You either like her or you don't. To me, it's obvious that you do. I will never understand the games that people play. Just say what you mean, and mean what you say."

He was so brutally honest...it was just what Sonic needed then. Just someone to tell him like it was, give him straight talk.

"Thanks Knux," Sonic said and stood up straighter. "I didn't know you could be so deep, though."

"Don't mention it. Now stop being a pansy and _tell her."_

He would. Oh yes, Sonic would come to a decision later that night, as he settled down on his favorite roof top.

1. He was indeed in love with Amy Rose.

2. It was about darn time he told her just that.

...

**So between Tails teasing him, almost kissing Amy (for like the fifth time), and having Knuckles tell him to cut the crap, Sonic is finally out of denial. **

**I was feeling at first that this chapter came too fast, but if I have to write another almost kiss scene I'm going to scream. Besides, who's to say Sonic would wait this long anyway? Let's just say both Sonic and I are getting impatient. And I know you all are getting impatient for them to kiss as well. :)**


	6. Absolutely Romantic

Absolutely Romantic

_Of course._

If there had been one day, just _one day_, that Sonic would turn down a chance to fight Eggman, it'd be this one. Oh yes, this hedgehog had much more planned for the evening than just a tussle with his arch-nemesis. But as it was, the doctor was up to his old schemes, and it was up to Sonic, as always, to stop him.

He knew Amy would be upset. Sonic was upset, too. He'd been looking forward to this day all week, nervously. He'd also been rehearsing exactly how it was going to go, how he was going to tell Amy, everything. But this was putting a loop in his plans. Ah well, he'd just have to improvise. Fine; thinking on his feet was one of Sonic's strengths anyway. All he could hope was that this battle wouldn't take too long.

Sonic was greeted by Amy's cheerful smile upon arrival at her house.

"Hi Sonic," Amy said but frowned upon seeing his expression.

"Amy I'm sorry, but we can't go out right now," he informed her gloomily.

Amy's eyes got big and her face fell. "Why not?"

"A certain fat doctor has decided that I can't have a love life. It can't wait, Ames. I'm sorry."

Her heart sank. She had been looking forward to this all week. Maybe Sonic didn't define her anymore, but he was still a big part of her life.

"It's okay," the pink hedgehog said and managed a half-smile.

"I'll make it up to you, though," Sonic said. "I promise."

Now this made her feel slightly better. Sonic never backed out of a promise.

"But until then..." Sonic suddenly grinned and produced a red rose, offering it to Amy.

She gasped. "For me?"

"Who else?"

Amy took it wordlessly, her eyes wide as their fingers brushed during the transfer.

"I'll see ya later, Amy," Sonic said and with a wink, was gone.

Ok, this definitely meant something._ A red rose_. Amy studied each of the petals, taking in the shocking deep redness of them, and then clutched the flower to her chest and let out one of the loudest squeals she'd let loose in a while.

Sonic had given her a flower. A rose. A _red_ rose. Even _Sonic_ had to know what a red rose meant. There was just no mistaking it.

Still in awe and with a dumb smile on her face, Amy went back into her house, still staring at the rose, wanting to memorize every petal. That's when the giggling began. It continued as Amy skipped all the way to her closet, searching for a vase to put it in. This rose would replace the one he'd given her so long ago. Amy had kept the _stem_ of that one right next to her bed until it had withered away to nothing. But now Sonic had given her a brand new one, deep red this time. To hold her over until he could make up the date to her.

That's when it hit her like her Piko Piko Hammer.

She should have gone with him. Oh, jeez, Sonic was out risking his life against Eggman at this very moment, and she had stayed home. Normally, Amy would have followed him without a second thought, but he'd given her the rose, and it had distracted her.

Ah, that was it, wasn't it? He'd given her the flower to tell her to stay here. It was almost like he wanted her to not come with him. Like he wanted to protect her. Sonic had been trying to say, "I care about you. Stay here. I'll be back."

_Oh SONIC... _Amy let out a contented sigh as she flopped down onto her couch, still grinning like an idiot and giggling. She had a feeling that whenever Sonic _did_ make up this date to her...it would be absolutely romantic.

But until then...Amy picked up her remote and started flipping through channels. Sports, no. News, no. She flipped again and landed on a movie. Two raccoons were holding each other, staring into each other's eyes. Amy watched as the predictable thing happened: they kissed. Normally a scene like this would inspire jealousy and longing from Amy, but tonight, it just made her fantasize. And hope that it would happen sometime soon between her and Sonic.

Amy watched with glazed eyes for awhile until the sound of her doorbell made her jump. She glanced at the TV and blinked at the unfamiliar show. She must have fallen asleep, though her clock said it was only 8. The sound of the doorbell being repeatedly rung made Amy get up. Only one person she knew would be that impatient. Rubbing her eyes, the pink hedgehog opened the door.

"Sonic?" Jeez, if he'd just gotten back from a battle, he looked no worse for the wear. Then again, when did Sonic ever look _bad?_

"Hi Amy. I'm ready to make up that date to you."

Now? "Well, that was _fast_."

"It's _me_, remember?" Sonic said and winked. "You know, Amy, I know the best place to sit and look at the stars. How does that sound?"

Amy's eyes got big and she let out a small sigh. "That sounds _absolutely_ _romantic._"

"I just _knew_ you'd say that," Sonic said and grinned. "So you ready to go now?"

"Uh, actually...will you give me a second? I mean, you can come in," she said and backed into her doorway to allow Sonic to enter. "I won't take long, I promise."

Amy ran into her room, shut the door, and made a beeline for her bathroom. She turned the overhead fan on to try and block out the squeal she couldn't keep from escaping her lips.

Oh my gosh, her and Sonic were going to do something_ romantic _this week. AND HE HAD THOUGHT OF IT! Amy couldn't resist jumping up and down as she realized Sonic was going to take her to his_ special place_ and they would watch the _stars_ together. SO ROMANTIC!

_Amy, remember that he's out there waiting on you. _Oh, right right right.

The girl wasted no more time in getting ready. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, redid her quills, put on mascara, sprayed on some perfume, donned her new red and pink dress, and went out to see her crush, smiling when she saw his eyes get big.

Wow, Amy looked...stunning. It was probably a bad word, but it was exactly how Sonic felt at the moment. She really did get prettier every time he saw her. At this rate...

"Wow, Amy," he breathed. "You look this nice and it only took you a few minutes. I'm impressed."

Amy turned the color of her dress and smiled bashfully, her heart melting. "Thanks, Sonic. I try to look nice for you."

"It doesn't take much," he said and smiled. Oh my, he was actually going through with this. The nervousness was already here. "So, are you ready to go?"

Amy nodded and sighed happily as Sonic cradled her bridal (yes, _bridal)_ style and started running. It was just so thrilling to be in Sonic's arms and travel at supersonic speeds. And this time she knew he was going a roundabout way...there was no way it'd take him 10 minutes to go anywhere. Not that she minded. Amy would be content for him to hold her for hours and just run around, feeling the wind ruffling her quills and his arms holding her.

Sonic finally came to a halt on a hill. It was the best place he knew to look at the stars since it was higher up, and there were no trees on the perimeter to block the view. Sonic had often come here by himself to relax after a battle, and figured it'd be nice to bring Amy along.

Sonic smiled down at his girl and realized he was still holding her. He then knelt down a little, setting Amy down on her back before lying down next to her about a foot away. Amy glanced at him with that wide-eyed look Sonic had come to love. He placed his hand on top of hers, letting his fingers curve down and intertwine with hers before winking at her and turning to the stars.

"It's the perfect night for this," Sonic's voice broke the still night air. He placed his other hand casually behind his head.

"Yeah, there's no clouds," Amy agreed. She studied the twinkling lights in the sky for a while, but couldn't resist another peek at Sonic. He looked so perfect right now, the moonlight bathing his fur and quills, making the hedgehog practically glow. Amy had to resist a sudden urge to just dive on top of him and kiss him like mad. This view was so intoxicating, but Amy forced her eyes off her crush and onto the only slightly less stunning view of the night sky.

She heard him sigh a little next to her, and she would have given anything to know his thoughts. _Did he want to talk? _she wondered_. Should I say anything? Or would I just be bothering him? No, it wouldn't bother him, he brought me out here when he could have just come himself. He obviously wanted company. _

"So uh..." Amy said a little reluctantly, "How was the battle?"

"Piece of cake. As always."

His short remark made Amy think he really didn't want to talk, but Sonic continued, "Makes me wonder why Eggman keeps trying. He knows he'll never win."

"So you don't think he ever will?"

"Not while I'm around."

"Do you think we'll ever defeat him...for good?"

"Yeah, eventually. I mean, evil's probably never going to be completely eliminated, but Amy," Sonic said and turned to face her. "I don't want you to worry, ok? Whatever happens will be nothing I can't handle. _We _can't handle."

Surprised at this addition, Amy returned his glance, her heart melting at how tender his gaze was. And he was so close to her, she could almost feel his breath on her mouth.

"I didn't know you thought about stuff like this, Sonic."

"I didn't know _you_ thought about stuff like this."

They shared a laugh, and Sonic studied Amy's face for a bit, taking in her simple beauty, before she turned back to the night sky.

_Sonic....you have to tell her at some point, my man. _He knew that. In fact, that's what he'd brought Amy all the way out here to do. To confess. _Now would be a really good time, Sonic._

Now? Oh, but how? What to say? I mean, didn't actions speak louder than words? Wasn't he already saying he liked her by taking her out every week?

_Yes, but Sonic, you have to tell her. She needs words. She needs to know. Deserves to know. _

Ok. He was _going_ to do this. Yes.

Right now.

He _was._

Sonic turned to glance at Amy, but upon seeing her, his heart clenched and his tongue suddenly stopped. Why was it, out of everything in the universe, only Amy could do this to him. Make him,_ him,_ Sonic the freaking Hedgehog..._hesitant. Unsure. Nervous. _

_It's because you love her, Sonic. Now stop being a pansy and TELL HER!_

Sonic was about to open his mouth and start, but Amy beat him to it.

"Sonic why..." Amy said suddenly, but then she paused. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing this?" he echoed. "Whaddya mean?"

Amy bit her lip. She was scared to ask him, scared of his answer - but she had to know. Had to know the truth so she could stop lying to herself and making excuses.

"I mean....why are you taking me out like this?" she said, her voice quivering a little.

Sonic shifted uncomfortably. Well, there was no getting out of it now. But what could he say? 'I like you?' It seemed so...bland. Understated, even. Besides, wasn't it obvious? "Haven't I already told you?" he said uncomfortably and glanced back at the sky.

So. He _didn't _like her then. Amy had to close her eyes for a few seconds to process.

"I guess...what I'm_ trying_ to ask is...do you...do you_ like_ me, Sonic, or is this just a friend thing? I mean, it's _okay_ if this is just a friend thing. But I have to know. I mean, I can _deal_ with the fact that you don't like me, I guess I could _live_ with that if I _have_ to. But...I just want to know: do you like me or not?"

She was trying really hard to read his expression, but Sonic had turned to face the stars again. She could, maybe, make out the corner of a smile on his lips. Barely. Maybe she was imagining it. Dreaming again. Oh, why wasn't he _answering_? His silence was lethal.

"What do you think?" he finally said.

Oh, he was _impossible. _

"Sonic, please, this isn't about me, ok? This is about what you feel. We both know exactly how I feel, but your feelings you've always kept a secret. Please, _please_, just tell_ me_." The last word came out as a squeak, and her eyes welled up. "Please, Sonic. All I want is the truth. I need to know so I can -"

She was cut off by Sonic's lips.

The kiss didn't last long, and no tongue was involved; it was just a simple meeting of the lips. Amy was way, _way_ too shocked to kiss him back.

"How's_ that_ for an answer?" Sonic said, grinning as always.

_Holy crap, Sonic, you just kissed Amy._ Yes, he had. It'd felt wonderful, too. Better than any thrill he'd gotten from running. He'd gladly do it again. Over and over - heck, why _wait_?

Sonic leaned in to go for another one, when to his shock, the girl pulled back.

"Sonic," she was panting. "Please tell me this isn't a trick. Please tell me no one paid you, or...just tell me it was because you wanted to."

It was now fully impossible to read Sonic's expression because of her tears. Sonic was literally just a blue blur.

"I _did_ want to," he assured her. "And I'd like to do it again, if you don't mind."

_Oh._

_My._

_Gosh._

This wasn't happening. She was dreaming. She'd fallen asleep watching that corny movie, and the romantic atmosphere had seeped into her brain and -

Sonic was kissing her again. Now there was no way Amy was pulling back this time. Sonic was kissing her gently, sweetly, tenderly. Not lustfully, not greedily. Nothing to make her feel that his intentions were anything she didn't want, nothing to make her feel uncomfortable in the least. No, Amy had never felt so _good_ in her entire life.

They both lay on their sides, their lips exploring each other's lips, enjoying the softness. Amy started shivering as Sonic placed his hands behind her head and gently ran his fingers through her quills as he pulled the two lovers closer together. Amy responded by resting her hand right below his back quills, stroking his fur.

Sonic suddenly felt a wetness on his muzzle and opened his eyes only to see tears coming out of Amy's. He pulled back a little, but when he talked, his lips brushed her lips.

"Why are you crying?" he whispered.

Amy opened her eyes a little, entranced by Sonic's green ones so close to hers. "Because I'm _so happy_," she whispered.

Sonic melted a little at this, and wasted no time in pulling Amy even closer to him, so their chests now touched and their lips met again. He readjusted his hand so it now curved under Amy's head, supporting it, while his other hand ran smoothly down her back. After a few more minutes of kissing, the two hedgehogs then tilted their heads so they could view the stunning night sky again, their muzzles brushing.

"So you..you really do like me?" Amy whispered to him.

"I do. Like you, Amy. I mean...I...love you, Amy."

Oh no, she was going to_ faint_. Sonic snuggled up closer to her and gave her another kiss on the lips.

"But I feel like I have some explaining to do," he said.

"No, it's okay" Amy said quickly, not wanting to spoil the moment with painful memories. "I forgive you."

"No Ames, I gotta get this off my chest. I've put it off long enough." He cuddled up closer to her. "So hear me out, k?"

"Alright Sonic."

Amy felt his chest rise and fall with his sigh, and his breath cooled her cheek, drying her tears a little.

"Okay, I gotta be honest, first off, you were just some girl I saved from Little Planet. I mean, I thought you were cute and nice and all, but I was sure we'd go our separate ways afterward," he laughed softly. "But I was wrong. You started following me around...and I got annoyed because I value my freedom, you know? You'd follow me, and then get into danger...and then I'd have to save you. And just your persistence...it drove me up the wall. Everywhere I went, I'd have to look over my shoulder. And I hated it."

He paused and Amy bit her lip shamefully, feeling her eyes well up again. She would hold on, though, for she knew that talking about it would be the only way to heal the rift between them.

"But then something changed," Sonic continued softly and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Maybe it was when you started helping me on my adventures and showing you could stick up for yourself. I started to see you as more of a friend then. But I really didn't want to date you, and I didn't like you like that.

"And then, when you were with us and were kidnapped, held for ransom...I felt the need to protect you. You know I hate to see people get hurt. So I started pushing you away for that reason. And then I started to wonder why I cared about you so much, why I needed to see that you were okay. And all those times that you were in trouble...I was surprised at just how_ worried_ I was. I mean, I'm never worried. Ever. And yet I was worried about you. You gave me all sorts of weird feelings, actually. And maybe that's why I kept pushing you away. Ya messed with my ego."

"But now...let's just say I..." Sonic paused, for he was completely out of words. The confession of why he'd resisted her had flown freely off his tongue, for that had made total sense in his mind. But how he'd fallen for her? Words hadn't been invented to explain how_ that_ had happened.

"I...I...I...was won over." Understatement.

Amy turned her head a little to look at him, her heart melting at how cute Sonic looked just then, with him blushing and stuttering over his words. She smiled bigger and snuggled up closer. _"Oh Sonic.._."

He laughed a little and then turned and kissed her cheek. "I'm just sorry that it took so long for me to stop being weird about this whole thing. Don't know why I waited so long now, honestly. It seems silly." He laughed again.

"It's okay. We're together now."

And they were.

Then there was just silence, contentment, warmth, the stars, and each other. The hedgehogs were content to just lie on the grass in each other's arms for awhile.

Sonic whispered, "I should probably take you home before we do something we shouldn't."

Amy knew he was right, but didn't want to let go of him. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep....

"Ames?"

"You're right."

She felt Sonic's grip on her lessen and the hedgehog brought himself to his knees before picking her up. Then it was time for another ride around Mobius, Sonic clutching Amy close to him as he raced around under the stars for a few minutes before he eventually headed back to her house.

"I hope this date was_ romantic_ enough for you," Sonic said as he clasped her hands and they stood on Amy's porch.

"It was better than I ever imagined it would be," Amy admitted. "Thank you so much. I'll never forget this."

"Neither will I. Good night, Amy," Sonic said and ended the date properly for the first time, their lips blissfully meeting again. Sonic pulled back and studied her pretty face, wanting to imprint every detail on his memory before he left her for the night. He then released one giddy pink hedgehog, but couldn't resist another peek over his shoulder before he left.

"You're pretty, by the way," he flirted, knowing it'd make her melt. "Very, very pretty."

Amy gently put her fingers to her lips as she watched the blue blur jet away from her house. She would just stand there for a few minutes, reflecting, enjoying, sighing, smiling, crying, thinking, giggling, as the warmness in her heart spread and she had just one thing on her mind.

_ Sonic._

Somehow, Amy made her way back into her bed, skipping over calling her friends, as this was something just for her and Sonic to share. It would be awhile, however, before she would settle into a perfectly contented sleep. She didn't dream, though, as her dreams had already come true that night.

................

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times, YES! He'd done it. He'd told her and kissed her and..._ah_. It felt so good now that there was nothing between them now. There would be no more fighting his feelings. No more confusion.

YES! Sonic grinned and laughed giddily as he continued to race throughout the world, his legs pumping faster and faster yet not quite catching up with his heart.

Yes. Everything was right in the world now. Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose were together.

**......................**

***happy sigh* I'm so happy right now. :)**

**This sort of feels like the last chapter, but rest assured, it's not. I still have at least 2 more ideas for dates. I CAN START WRITING FLUFFY DATES NOW! I can't wait.  
**


	7. Wherever You Are

**Bullet Nick, WhiteTears95, KSonic, SwedenSpeedway, cheese15624, SherryHedgehog, HaosBlossom, UltimateCCC, Samantha27, Amyfan111, Jacklethkitsune: Thank you all for your kind words. That stargazing chapter was an idea I had a LONG time ago, and I'm glad you all enjoyed it. :D Hope you all enjoy this, too! (And UltimateCCC, I'd love to hear your idea, but know I've already got the next two dates planned :)**

Just Us

2 months ago, if you would have told Sonic that he'd soon be head over heels for _Amy Rose_...you would have gotten at the very least a laugh in your face along with a "Yeah, right. Get real." But looking back now, Sonic realized that he should have seen this coming. He should have known that by starting to date her, any repressed feelings that he had would be spilling over. Once he'd made that initial decision to start dating her...he'd turned the corner, in a sense. He'd started out by being just a nice friend (or so he thought and lied to himself), but by spending time with her, Sonic had fallen for her. And he was now completely in love with_ Amy._

Okay, so maybe it wasn't_ love_. They were young, after all. Well, whatever this feeling was that was jumping around in his heart and making him break the sound barrier much easier, Sonic found he liked it. There was at once rest and contentment but also giddiness and boundless energy. So he really didn't care what it was called. There was a lot about this whole thing that he really didn't know, but that just added to the excitement and butterflies. Maybe he was plunging into unknown waters at this point, but that was okay; this hedgehog lived for excitement and spur-of-the-moment adventure anyway. And this was a whole new adventure, and one that he could share. With_ Amy. _

Oh my, the girl was just so...ah. So sweet. So pretty. So...a million other adjectives that just didn't do her justice.

Was this what she had felt for him this whole time? If so..well, it certainly made sense why she'd stalked him. Sonic felt like he wanted to stalk_ her_ now. He also felt very much like a jerk for being so mean to her all those times, yet somehow _Amy_ had forgiven him just like that. Sonic knew he'd probably couldn't forgive anyone that quick.

These were the thoughts running through the hedgehog's head all night as he raced through Mobius. No, he hadn't managed even an _attempt_ at sleep after the whole utterly romantic stargazing date earlier. As if anyone could sleep after that. Ha. No one could, but especially not someone like Sonic.

Sonic found himself floating on air all night, running faster and lighter than usual, with just _Amy_ on his mind. Suddenly all he wanted to do was just hold her, kiss her, look deep into her eyes...

The first rays of sunlight finally peeked over the horizon, and Sonic smiled. He'd been waiting for this all night, just waiting for the day to_ begin already _so he could go and see _Amy_ again. He figured she'd love to go on another date so soon, and Sonic himself had no other plans. If he had, they'd just been canceled.

_Sonic, she's probably not up yet, _he told himself while studying the morning sky. The pink hue reminded him of_ Amy _of course, though he liked her fur color much better.

Ok, so some people are normal and actually sleep at night. Fine. So what could he do in the meantime? Think of where they were gonna go? No, he'd already chosen the last two dates. It was _Amy's_ turn now. So what to do?

Ha, as if he could do anything at this point but think of her. Sonic chuckled to himself as he settled down on a mountain and watched the sunrise, thoughts of a lovely pink hedgehog swirling through his head.

...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...

Amy awoke from possibly the best sleep she'd had in her life, and let out a contented sigh. As she stretched and sat up in her bed, though, she couldn't help but wonder if last night had simply been another dream. But no, there was still the red rose on her nightstand, and the lingering taste of _Sonic_'s sweet kisses on her lips.

_Sonic_ actually, truly liked her. For real. He had given her a rose, taken her stargazing, kissed her, and confessed why he'd ran. Why, she couldn't have planned it any better herself. Indeed, that was what made it better, the fact that_ Sonic_ had planned the whole thing.

Amy continued to stare at the ceiling, grinning like an idiot, her mind still hung up on emerald eyes, blue fur, unruly quills, a long black nose, a peach muzzle that had kissed her...Oh, how _Sonic_ had kissed her. Amy had often imagined what kissing was like, and she found it was much more amazing than in her dreams.

Still giggling, Amy pulled herself out of bed and stretched again before making her way to the bathroom for a quick shower._ So...what to do today? _Amy wondered as she washed the sweat and grime off of her body. The weather forecast spoke of it being in the mid 90's today, which meant all outdoor activities would be limited.

After singing a few lines of her favorite romantic song (she was just too happy to not sing), Amy pulled herself out of the shower and quickly dressed herself casually. As she fixed herself a breakfast of toast, she considered calling Cream and Rouge and filling them in on what had happened last night. But Amy didn't know if she was going to be one to kiss and tell. Although judging by how giddy she was at the moment, Amy wasn't sure if she could go much longer without gushing to someone about what _Sonic_ had done.

Amy was just about to go and grab her cell when her doorbell rang. What? It was only 11, according to the pale blue clock on her wall, and who would come at this hour?

_Sonic! _

Her heart racing at the thought of seeing him again, Amy dropped everything, rushed to her door and swung it open.

"Hi Amy," he said and gave her a silly grin. Man, she was even prettier in the flesh than in his memory.

"Hi Sonic," she said, giddy at the sight of him.

"Long time no see, huh?" Sonic joked as he gave her a hug, although it really_ had_ felt like a long time to him.

Amy giggled and planted a kiss on his lips. Sonic gave her another kiss as well before releasing her and holding her by her waist. They both stared into each other's eyes for a second, both of them giggling.

"Oh, I gotcha something," Sonic said and removed his hand from her waist to reach into his back quills. Amy watched him curiously and then gasped in delighted surprise at seeing his gift.

"Another rose?" Amy asked as she lifted her eyes from the rose to Sonic's tender green orbs.

"Would you like another flower?"

"Oh, no, it's fine," Amy said quickly and took the flower. "I like roses."

"Good, they uh..." he paused, and looked away for a second. "They suit you."_ You're both very pretty._ "So...what were you thinking of doing today?" he asked casually.

"Oh, I was planning on heading to the beach," she blurted without thinking, and then realized her mistake. Ah snap, Sonic had been asking her out again (so soon!) and he'd wanted to spend the day with her, and she'd suggested what was quite possibly his_ worst_ favorite place? Had she already messed up their relationship?

"I mean, I don't have to," Amy babbled. "It was just something I thought of this morning with it being so hot, and I didn't think you'd want to go on another date so soon, planned to go by myself actually -"

"Nah, don't go by yourself," Sonic said lightheartedly. "I'd love to go with ya."

Amy blinked. "Really? You'd come with me...to the _beach_?"

"Yeah. I'll go anywhere, just as long as I can be with you," he breathed. And it wasn't until Amy smothered him in a hug that Sonic realized he'd just said one of the tackiest and most cliche things ever uttered.

"I just wanna be with you, too, Sonic," Amy said. "But you don't have to swim if you don't want to."

"Good, because I_ don't_ want to," he chuckled. Amy's resulting giggle was so adorable that Sonic smiled bigger, and held his girl in his arms, enjoying her warmth and her rosy scent.

"So are you ready to go?"

"Let me just finish packing my beach bag," Amy said and released Sonic. "You wanna come in to wait?" she asked, drinking in his wonderful eyes.

"Sure thing," Sonic said and he entered Amy's house, wiping the morning dew off his shoes.

Amy hurried back into her bedroom, and did another check of her bag. She'd packed a towel, sunscreen, a radio, sunglasses, water, money, and snacks. Now that Sonic was coming, though, she'd have to add some floaties in case he changed his mind and did want to swim. With Sonic, you just never knew.

She already had her bathing suit on underneath her simple outfit of a T-shirt and mesh shorts. Amy was going casual today. Once she was sure she had everything in order, Amy headed back out.

"Sonic, I'm ready!" she said cheerfully and waited to hear his wonderful voice and cocky attitude. But she heard nothing. Amy opened her eyes and to her shock, Sonic wasn't in her living room anymore. What? Had he really changed his mind? Had she scared him off with the beach idea?

Biting her lip, Amy did a once over of the room again, wondering if perhaps Sonic was hiding from her. He _would_ do something like that. Her door was open, though, how strange...

A flash of air! Amy blinked again, for Sonic had suddenly appeared in her doorway.

"Sorry, I had to get something," Sonic said sheepishly. "I was hoping I'd be back before you came out, but I guess not."

Amy tilted her head and smiled at his quirkiness. "What'd you have to go get?"

"You think I'm going to_ tell _you?" he teased her.

"Oh, does that means it's something for _me_?"

"Why would I get _you_ something? It's not like I _like _you or anything..."

"Good, because I don't_ like _you either, Sonic. I_ love_ you."

Sonic's eyes widened and he felt warmth on his face. "I love you, too Amy," he admitted. "So do ya have everything we need - jeez, that's a big bag!"

Amy was still floating a little from the exchange. "Well, I have to be sure we have everything we need - towels, snacks...c'mon Sonic, don't act like you've never been to the beach before!" Amy said, then realized maybe he hadn't. He certainly never came with them when her, Cream, and Tails had gone. "Either way, there's stuff we have to bring."

"Ok, you're the expert," Sonic said, and tried to figure out logistics. "So I guess - do you want me to carry you while you cradle the bag on your lap?"

"Sounds good to me," Amy said.

"Alrighty then, Emerald Coast here we come!"

Of course, the beach was not were Sonic was directly headed; he made some serious detours over some mountains, lakes, forests, just as an excuse to be able to run and hold Amy for a longer period of time. All the while he kept sneaking glances at the beautiful rose nestled in his arms. Amy thought it was cute the first few times.

"Sonic, you better watch where you're going. If you run into another tree, I'm getting the worst of it this time," she warned him.

Sonic laughed. "Man, you won't let me forget that, will you?"

"Sonic, I don't think either of us could forget that if we _tried_."

"Ah, yes, we've had some good times, huh?"

"The best," Amy agreed.

Once the huge body of water appeared on the horizon, Sonic felt his heart clench a little, but pushed his nightmares away and continued on. His feet hit the sand and it took him a microsecond to adjust to the new medium before finally coming to a stop. Since it was only Thursday, the beach wasn't overly crowded, and both hedgehogs were pleased with having the beach mostly to themselves.

Sonic set Amy down and the girl wasted no time in setting up a base of sorts by laying down her huge towel and unpacking her bag. Sonic watched her in amazement as she kept pulling things out.

"Jeez - ya bring yer whole house?" Sonic teased her, his eyes dancing.

"Well, half of it is stuff for_ you_, you know. I just wanted to make sure we have a good time."

"We will. 'Long as we're together," he smiled at her.

She grinned back.

Although she was kneeling from unpacking all her goodies and not in an ideal pose for a kiss, Sonic went and knelt in front of her and let their lips meet again. Amy hadn't been expecting it, so when Sonic pulled away, her eyes were wide. It was something she could get used to, though, him just randomly kissing her like this.

Sonic saw her shocked expression turn to joy, and then his quick reflexes warned him that she was about to return the favor. But he didn't want to dodge her this time. And just because he saw it coming made it no less wonderful when Amy molded her delicate lips against his. When she pulled back, Sonic noted that her muzzle had blended into her fur.

Why was everything about this girl just so _cute?_ Her eyes, her bang-quills, her giggle, her fuzzy ears, her smile, her quills, her button nose, her lips, her blush...

By this time Sonic was now blushing and he retreated to his side of the towel, not missing Amy's giggling at his bashfulness. The hedgehog stretched out his long, lanky legs out to their full potential and propped his head up with his arms. He had a clear, unspoiled view of the ocean right then, and found himself mesmerized by the rhythm of the crashing waves.

"Why don't you take your shoes off?" Amy suggested.

He glanced at her. Although he could run just about as fast barefoot, Sonic still felt a little uneasy without his beloved shoes. Sonic was considering whether he should or not when he noticed Amy was taking off her shirt.

Sonic freaked out and immediately turned away. Oh gosh -_Dude, calm down. She has a bathing suit on!_ That realization helped only a little, though, and he had to let out a deep breath before working up the nerve to glance back at her. Amy peeled off her shorts as well, revealing her slim but very girlish figure clad in a light blue swimsuit. She wasn't wearing a bikini, although that was probably a good thing.

"Do you like my swimsuit?" Amy asked him, twirling around and trying not to giggle at his paralyzed and bright red face.

Did he ever. "Yeah, it's cute." Gah, he was already nervous from being around all this _water_ and now Amy was - Sonic turned his attention back to the ocean, trying to calm down his hormones.

Amy grinned at how flustered Sonic looked. He was absolutely adorable when he blushed. "I'm going to head for the water, now," she informed him. Although she really didn't want to leave him just yet, Amy was dying under the heat. Besides, maybe she could get him to come in with her.

"Ah, okay, be careful, then," Sonic said.

His heart ached, though, as he watched her head towards the waves. Right now he just wanted to be near her, and had a sudden unusal urge to run not only towards Amy, but towards the water as well. So now, for the second day in a row, Sonic was fighting his fears.

The cobalt hedgehog slipped off his sneakers and gloves before standing up to full height. His green eyes scanned the waves, and he felt that normal clenching in his heart at seeing just how vast the ocean was. The huge mass of water stretched all the way to the horizon. Amy stood out like a pink beacon in the bluish - green water.

Sonic placed one furry blue foot off the towel, relishing the feel of the sand under his feet. Maybe it wasn't the hard ground he was used to running on, but it felt good. After reaching into his back quills to pull something out, Sonic slowly approached the water front and paused right where the sand was moist.

Amy, who'd been playing in the waves, suddenly turned around to check on her boyfriend, and to her delight, saw him lingering at the water's edge.

"Sonic!" she said joyfully and made her way towards him.

He looked up and immediately brought his hand behind his back. Amy was heading towards him, though her stride was restricted by the water. As she sloshed closer, Sonic was reminded of why he hated water. Not only could he not swim, but it was also a speed trap.

"Sonic," she repeated. "I can't believe you're out here!"

"Sorry, Amy, but ya captured my heart and now I'm gonna follow _you_ around," he teased her and winked. "Even if you go near the sea."

"Oh Sonic," Amy squealed and hugged him. When she did, though, something cut into her wrist. She pulled his hand out to examine it and looked down...no, it can't be.

"Is this..." she asked, blinking.

"Yeah," Sonic said simply. He raised both of their hands to eye level and pointed to the different colored string lacing the pink shells together. "I fixed it."

Amy studied the bracelet for a second, still not believing that Sonic still had it after all this time.

"It's what I went back to get earlier," he admitted. "I knew if we were going to go near water, I'd need my good luck charm."

Amy's face burst into a grin, and she couldn't hold it back anymore. "Oh Sonic I didn't know you kept it! That makes me so happy!"

Sonic smiled at her outburst, but suddenly tensed up as he felt salt water submerge his ankles. Dang, it sure was _cold. _

Amy saw him wince and smiled amusedly. The water was only up to his ankles! "Oh Sonic, you're adorable," she gushed and kissed him gently. She tasted like salt water, but Sonic didn't mind.

"What is it you're even afraid of?" she asked. This fear was something she'd never understood.

"I'm not _afraid_, I just can't swim."

"Would you like me to teach you?" she offered.

"No no, I'm good. Besides, why swim when you can just run on top of the water?"

Amy rolled her eyes a little. "I wouldn't try running on these waves."

"I don't know, it'd be a pretty cool version of surfing," Sonic said. That is, if he could ever work up the nerve to jump in there.

"Why don't you try it?" Amy encouraged. "I won't let you drown, I promise."

"Uh...maybe later," he said nervously.

Amy tilted her head. "Okay, Sonic. So are you going to come in or what?"

"Let's just take a walk first."

Amy agreed to it, and took his bare hand, smiling at the bracelet brushing her wrist. The hedgehogs then started walking parallel to the ocean, right where the water was running over their feet every minute or so. Sonic found himself enjoying this, with the ocean breeze cooling them down, seagull flickies squawking overhead, stroking Amy's bare knuckles, the wet sand under his feet, and of course the beauty not only of the ocean itself, but the girl right next to him. He felt Amy slowly pulling him deeper into the ocean, so now they were up to mid-thigh.

"See, Sonic, it's not so bad."

He had to admit, it really wasn't. Maybe the whole thing was a little nerve wracking, but the water felt oddly nice on his legs, though it took a little extra effort to move them. Sonic turned to smile at Amy, who was closer to the ocean than him. Amy smiled back sweetly then brought her hand skimming across the top of the water, splashing Sonic right in the face.

"Hey!" he protested. Amy giggled mischievously, and went in deeper to the ocean so Sonic couldn't get her back.

"You sneak!" he yelled at her, but his eyes widened as he saw a huge wave approaching fast.

"Ah!" he yelled, and tried heading for shallower waters, but once again, the darn water restricted his movement.

"Sonic, wait, it's not -"

Her words were in vain, though, as Sonic suddenly slipped and tumbled under the wave. Amy gasped and tried to pull him up, but Sonic was up before she could react. He coughed violently, heaving the salt water from his lungs and making a break for the shore.

"Sonic, are you alright?" she asked as the hedgehog collapsed on the sand and kept coughing. Amy wanted to kick herself for bringing him out here.

"Fine," he gasped. "Just fine."

Amy knelt next to him and stroked his back quills, trying to sooth him. "I'm sorry, Sonic, it's my fault."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Just out of my element," he said and his green eyes made an appearance. The sight of Amy's concerned face made him feel better. Sonic lifted his hand, and Amy took it to help him back to his feet. Thankfully, he didn't wobble a bit, but Amy still felt awful.

"Oh Sonic, I shouldn't have brought you out here, I'm so-"

Sonic put a finger to her lips. "Nah, it's cool," he said. "You're not the only one who does things without thinking," he joked, and Amy was amazed at his lightheartedness.

They shared a laugh, and the hedgehogs realized simultaneously that they were both able to forgive each other easily, and had done so numerous times on these dates.

"Besides," Sonic said, "there's other stuff to do out here than swim."

"Like _eat_?" Amy teased him.

"Ah, you read my mind," Sonic said. "I haven't eaten anything all day."

"What?" Amy whipped her head to face him. "You must be running on fumes! C'mon, I packed a lunch for us."

"I'll race ya," Sonic said and his eyes glinted competitively.

Amy grinned back at him. "Alright, but only if you run backwards."

"Done and done," Sonic said and turned around. "I'll even give you a head start!"

Amy took off across the sand, willing her legs to pump faster. Running on the sand was harder, but Amy dug in and made her way back to the towel. In a few seconds she saw Sonic next to her, running backwards and grinning like the showboater that he was. For the record, he let Amy touch the towel first and win.

After a simple lunch of sandwiches and chips, Sonic settled back onto the towel, content to just relax the rest of the afternoon away. Actually, his sleepless night was really catching up with him now, especially after all the excitement he'd just had. Yes, everything was good now, Sonic realized as he studied the blue sky and fluffy clouds. The ocean was now farther away, but still close enough to hear the rhythm of the waves, and Amy was lying down next to him, relaxing. Yes, life was sweet now, very sweet...The hedgehog yawned and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off to sleep.

Amy, who'd been soaking up some sun, suddenly turned to look at Sonic. He looked to be relaxing right now, as his eyes were closed. Amy reached over and placed her hand gently on his, but Sonic didn't stir.

"Sonic?" she said softly. No response. _Aw, how cute, he must be asleep_, she thought. Sonic really did look cute right then, and she couldn't help but squeal a little. Gently, Amy snuggled up closer to him, being careful not to wake him up. After putting her arm around his shoulders, Amy gently rested her head on his chest, and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...

Sonic opened his eyes, wincing a little at the blinding sunlight. It took him about a millisecond to remember where he was: the beach, with Amy. Ah, what a wonderful nap that had been. Sonic hadn't gotten that good of a rest in a long time. He sighed contentedly and his eyes drifted outwards, trying to catch a glimpse of the ocean, but his view was hindered by a pink head.

He almost jumped two feet when he realized Amy was resting her sweet little head on his chest. She must have cuddled up to him while he was asleep. Well, he certainly didn't mind it one bit. Sonic lifted his arms so they now draped across her body, hugging Amy closer to him. She stirred.

"Sonic?" she asked groggily and turned her eyes to face him. She realized Sonic was now holding her, and she blushed a little.

"Yep, I'm up," he said and stroked her ears.

Amy started fidgeting, and Sonic reluctantly let her go. "Sorry," she muttered while blushing. "You just looked so cute sleeping and I just wanted to cuddle for a while..."

"I didn't mind it," Sonic said, his muzzle now matching hers. He sat upright and stretched, and Amy did the same before scooting away a little.

The hedgehogs locked eyes in an awkward moment before they both giggled. Sonic took a clump of sand and let it fall through his fingers.

"So...what do you want to do now, Amy?" he asked her. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Almost three," Amy said after check the watch she'd brought.

Sonic turned from her and scanned the pier behind them. "You want to go for a walk on the boardwalk to maybe get some ice cream or something?" he suggested.

"That's a good idea," Amy said. "They have cool shops up there, too."

Sonic nodded and stood up before reaching for Amy's hand to help her up. While Sonic was slipping his shoes and gloves back on, the girl put her shorts and shirt back on to cover up a little, since they were going to be doing some shopping now. The hedgehogs then made their way through the sand up to the boardwalk, walking hand-in-hand.

The ice cream reminded both of them of their very first date together, and they both decided to switch flavors, just for the fun of it. Sonic ordered strawberry and raspberry, and Amy got double chocolate chunk and rocky road. As they headed down the wooden walkway, Sonic started the whole thing by licking Amy's ice cream, and then Amy tried to take his away, and soon both hedgehogs' muzzles were sticky with 4 different flavors.

"Oh Sonic, you look ridiculous," Amy said and giggled.

"Oh yeah? Well so do you," he said, but leaned forward and kissed her anyway, the blend of four flavors along with Amy's unique one igniting his lips.

After some kissing and cleaning up, Sonic and Amy strolled through the beach shops, admiring the cool shell jewelry ("But not as cool as_ my _ bracelet," Sonic said), laughing at the silly and lame T-shirts. Amy eventually ended up picking out a new pair of sandals, with Sonic buying them for her.

After a lap around the boardwalk, the sun was going down and they were both hungry again, so they settled down for a nice, romantic dinner on the pier, watching the setting sun paint the sky red, orange, and pink over the ocean.

"Thanks, Amy. I never would have come out here and had this much fun if it wasn't for you," Sonic told her when they were lingering at the table after dinner. "I never would have come to the beach, period, if it wasn't for you." And it was the truth, just like it was with Twinkle Park, and skating. Amy was really getting him to try new adventures, and Sonic was enjoying every bit of time that he got to spend with this amazing, beautiful girl.

...

**Yeah, I figured a beach date was a must, and the only way Amy could drag Sonic there was if he was in this state. ^_^ Hope you all liked it! More is coming, maybe in another few weeks.  
**


	8. Scheming and Gifts

**01sonamy01, SherryHedgehog, Stendylover, Lesyboo, IHeartSonAmy, Amyfan111, Jacklethekitsune, Bullet Nick, HaosBlossom, demiparamore, UltimateCCC, SwedenSpeedway: Okay, it's been a LONG time since I updated this, but I really needed to write something like this again, for all of you, my amazing readers. It's not that I don't like Passion (trust me, it is fun to write), but I needed my dose of cute and fluffy before I plunge into the drama.**

**That being said, a friend of mine, Jacklethekitsune, has been amazing enough to do a request for me (You all should read it, along with the rest of his stuff), so I decided to give him a thank you present in the form of this chapter. So Jacklethekitsune, this chapter is dedicated to you, hope you enjoy it. :)**

**

* * *

**

Scheming

"Mobius to Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Seeing this did nothing to phase the dozing blue hedgehog, Tails walked up closer to his buddy and waved his hand in front of his glazed expression.

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog finally blinked, but his grin was plastered on. "Wha - I missed something?"

Knuckles rolled his indigo eyes. "No, you've just been sitting in the same pose for 10 minutes with a dumb smile on your face and laughing randomly, while Tails and I -"

"Oh lay off," Sonic said, trying to sound gruff, but his grin didn't help his cause. "I'm just in a good mood, ok?"

"Would you like to tell us_ why_ you're in a good mood?" Tails ventured.

"Oh, no reason at all," he laughed.

Tails and Knuckles locked eyes and raised their eyebrows.

"Ok-ay, Sonic. This wouldn't have any thing to do with..._Amy_, would it?" Tails teased.

Sonic snapped to attention. "What, _Amy_? Is she here?"

The blank look on Knuckles' face and the muffled giggle by Tails let the hedgehog know he'd been tricked. He flushed scarlet. "You know what, fine. I don't care, anyway."

"So did you finally stop being a wuss and tell her, Sonic?" Knuckles asked.

Sonic was still oblivious. "Tell her what?"

"That you looooove her!" Tails drew out.

"Hey, now, stop it..." Sonic protested, his face growing more and more red.

"You kissed her, didn't you? _Didn't you_?" Tails playfully punched his arm.

Sonic yanked his now sore arm away and growled, but even teasing couldn't make this hedgehog upset. No, he was floating around in pure bliss at the moment.

"Oh Son-ic!" a heavenly voice suddenly drifted through the workshop, and Sonic perked up.

"Later, kids," he quipped to his two buddies and rushed off to see his girl.

The echidna and fox looked at each other and sighed. "He's lost it."

...xxx...

"Amy?"

Sonic did another quick scan of the room, but only saw the dull gray and blue metal of various unfinished mechanical projects and no pink. He could have sworn he'd heard her. Why, there was just no mistaking her voice, it was like nothing else in the universe. And yet, she was nowhere to be seen.

"A-my?"

A muffled giggle caught his ear, and Sonic grinned. Now he had her. He slowly made his way to the table she was obviously hiding under, and paused, waiting for her to jump out so he could pull her into his arms.

But Amy threw him a curve ball and dove out on the other side. Sonic grinned and let her have a head start to keep up the chase, but then took off after her, diving behind the same machine. Amy squealed and dove out of the way, and Sonic let her win, but chased after her before finally cornering her and laughing fake-evilly. The girl squealed again but slipped under his arms.

"Hey!"

"You're getting slower!" Amy teased him but kept running.

Normally Sonic would have frowned at that comment, but nothing could get him unhappy right now. Within a microsecond he broke the sound barrier and gathered his giggling rose in his arms.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to show up!" Sonic gave her a squeeze and set her on the ground.

He looked deeply into her eyes before kissing her sweetly right on the lips. Amy lifted her hands to play with his quills, wrapping them around her fingers and teasing them.

"Well, I had to take some time to make your favorite food."

He thought he smelled something. "Oh?"

Amy removed her hand from his quills to point out a wrapped up wicker basket on the table. Sonic's eyes got wide in recognition, but Amy grabbed his arm and smiled slyly.

"Uh, uh, uh. You have to kiss me first."

Sonic didn't waste any time. He gently took Amy's pink quills in his hand and pulled her into his lips. Suddenly, her homemade chili dogs didn't seem so desirable. No, Sonic really didn't need to taste anything else right now except Amy's lips. Amy's leg popped up as she returned Sonic's kisses and stroked his back quills. Goodness, he was just so strong and handsome and -

"Ahem."

The hedgehogs broke apart immediately, both blushing profusely at being caught in the act of kissing. Tails was making gagging noises, but Knuckles huffed. "You two don't even know how to kiss."

Sonic glared at him despite his red face. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Knuckles said simply and then turned to Tails, holding up the mini security bot the fox had made for him for the Master Emerald. "Thanks, Tails. I'll see how this works out for me."

"Anytime, Knuckles," Tails acknowledged the echidna. But when he turned back to Sonic and Amy, saw the two hedgehogs had left. The young fox shook his head a little, but his normally organized mind drifted to a thought that had been bothering him lately. Yet, while it was distracting, the feeling it gave him certainly wasn't unpleasant. It was just...different. Maybe a little nerve wracking, but still...he oddly liked it.

He'd always wondered what that was like, to have a girl. To have someone to hold and...kiss. Maybe the sight of his big brother making out had been disgusting, but secretly, Tails harbored thoughts and wonders of what that would feel like. Of course, neither Sonic nor Knuckles was too eager to share, so Tails was just left with his own thoughts of..._.Cream. _

Yes, Cream, the sweet little rabbit that had always made him a little nervous. Tails remembered the first time they'd met so long ago, when Eggman had captured her. For whatever reason, his heart had almost jumped out of his chest, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Not only was she pretty, but oh so polite and brave and cheerful...

Tails let out a sigh. He wished he could tell her how he felt, but his tongue had always stopped whenever she so much as looked at him. Ah, if only he wasn't so shy...

...xxx...

After he inhaled the dozen chili dogs Amy made for him, Sonic had brought them a hill covered in wildflowers, where they were now cuddling. Amy loved how Sonic knew of all these beautiful, romantic places to take her.

"Don't listen to that Knucklehead, you kiss just fine, Sonic," Amy assured her boyfriend. **_Much _**_more than fine. _

"Yeah, I know. He's probly just jealous cuz his girlfriend isn't as pretty as mine."

Amy blushed, but Sonic just pulled her closer to him and kissed her lips gently. "So what do ya want to do today, Ames?"

She shifted a little. "Well, see, Cream and I kinda had something planned..."

Sonic frowned. "Oh."

"But you can come if you want!" Amy quickly added.

"Nah. You girls don't want to drag lil ol me around..."

Amy bit her lip. "Well...you could bring Tails along."

The same thought hit both hedgehogs' minds simultaneously, and two pairs of green eyes met as matching grins crawled up their muzzles.

...xxx...

"Tails."

The fox turned around, blinking as his blue eyes adjusted from staring at the computer screen. What was Sonic doing back so soon? He'd just left with Amy. "Hey Sonic."

But his best friend merely walked right past him and started shutting down his computer.

Tails gasped. "Hey! What are you doing? I didn't save any of that!"

"Too bad," Sonic said nonchalantly. "Because you're coming with me."

"No, I'm _not_," Tails said crossly. "Now I have to redo everything."

"You _are_ coming with me. You live in here, Tails." He grabbed the fox by his wrist. "And I need your help with something."

Tails let out a sigh. "Fine. Where we going?"

Sonic grinned, and Tails wasn't so sure he liked that look. "You'll see, man. You'll see."

...xxx...

"Are you sure I'm not taking away your date with Sonic?" Cream asked Amy as the two girls entered the mall together.

"It's perfectly_ fine_, Cream. Sonic and I already have something planned for later." And it wasn't a lie. Although 'later' was much sooner than Cream thought.

Amy couldn't help but giggle a little, and Cream glanced at her curiously. It wasn't unusual for Amy to have random giggle fits (especially recently), but the way the girl kept glancing at her, Cream was getting a little suspicious. Something was up. Or maybe not; maybe Amy was just happy.

And Cream was happy for her, and glad to hear her best friend gush on and on about_ Sonic _this and _Sonic_ that...It was certainly much better than her crying and pulling out her Piko Piko. Listening to the bubbly pink hedgehog ramble on and on, though, inspired just a hint of...no, not jealousy, but..._wonder.  
_

She'd always wanted to get close to Tails, but he was always locked away off by himself_. _And Cream had never been one to bother people if she felt like they wanted to be left alone; her momma always told her how to be polite. And so Cream was just waiting for Tails to make the first move. Cream just hoped that he would make that move...

Her mind was so wrapped up in these thoughts that Cream was just absentmindedly following a way too quiet Amy. Cream did notice that Amy had walked right past one of their regular stores, but when she was about to ask her about it, the pink hedgehog suddenly gasped and started running.

"Sonic!" Amy screamed and ran to hug him.

Cream's eyes drifted over to the blue hedgehog, but her heart skipped when she saw who was with him.

"Amy! What a_ coincidence_ meeting _you_ here..." Sonic joked, unsuccessfully trying not to laugh as he caught Tails' shocked reaction over Amy's shoulder.

_Ah, yes, I see you need my **help,** Sonic..._Tails thought, but his mind suddenly went blank as Cream approached their group as well.

"Hi Tails," she said and the corners of her lips turned upwards slightly.

"Uh...h-hi Cr-cream," he stuttered, and had to glance at her shoes to stop himself from blushing even more. He heard the two hedgehogs start laughing, and he cursed the two of them and their scheming. He should have known Sonic was up to something. Amy was seriously rubbing off on him.

Amy released Sonic and her eyes drifted from Tails to Cream and back to Tails. "You boys wouldn't want to tag along with us, would you?"

"Of course we would," Sonic said quickly before Tails could get a word in. "Right Tails? _Right_. That is, if you two don't _mind_..."

"No, we don't mind," Cream said, her brown eyes never leaving Tails, even though the fox was looking at everything _except_ her. _Aw, he's so cute when he's shy._

"Great!" Amy said giddily and linked hands with Sonic. "Looks like we're off on a double date, then..."

Tails swallowed and still couldn't look at Cream. His peripheral vision told him that she had made her way next to him, and he allowed his eyes to turn to her. The rabbit was wearing a new dress; this one was sleeveless and light yellow with small ruffles extending to her knees. It made her look even more pretty. The stunned fox took a deep breath and started following after the hedgehogs, having no desire (yet every desire) to be left alone with Cream.

"Oh...let's go into the department store first!" Amy commanded and pulled Sonic in. He took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Tails following them, with Cream a little behind him.

"Amy, this isn't working," he whispered.

"It will! We have to be patient."

Sonic frowned. "Well...you and Cream go look at clothes, and I'll give Tails a good talking to."

Now it was Amy's turn to frown. "Sonic, that won't work!"

"It will, now shh, they'll hear!"

The hedgehogs paused at the first section of clothes, and Tails and Cream caught up with them.

"Amy?" Sonic said, this time loudly enough for the fox and rabbit to hear.

She lifted her eyes from the various shirts up to Sonic. "Yes?"

"You girls can look. Tails and I will meet up with ya later."

Amy frowned at him. What was he doing? They'd finally gotten them together, why was he trying to break them apart? The look in his green eyes, though, said _trust me._ So Amy would. "Okay, Sonic. But be sure to come back, I want to try on some of these clothes and show you."

Sonic's eyes got wide for a moment, but he nodded. "Okay. Why don't you come find us when you're ready?"

"Alright, Sonic. I _do_ know how to find you, after all."

Sonic winked at her and then sternly glanced at his little bro as he dragged him out of earshot of the girls, and further into the department store.

"You're being too quiet, Tails."

Tails glanced at him. "What? What do you want me to say?"

"Oh please, I know you know how to talk."

"But that's not..._ugh_, Sonic, you are the absolute_ last _person who should be scolding me about not talking to a girl," Tails shot back and crossed his arms.

Touche.

"Hmph. It's just Cream. You know she's not gonna bite your head off if you say something dumb." _Like Amy used to..._

"I know..." Tails said softly. He knew Sonic was right...he knew it _should_ be easy to just talk with her...but he also knew that this couldn't be pure logic. Because when you got right down to it...Cream was just a girl, and he was just a boy. And yet...it Cream was more than just any girl to him. _I just don't wanna make a fool of myself in front of her...like I have so many times already..._

"But look, it's not the end of the world yet," Sonic assured him and started walking the rest of the way through the huge store. "You know what she'd really like? If you got her something."

Tails' blue eyes scanned the various items for sale, still a little overwhelmed. In fact, this huge department store wasn't a place he frequented often, and this fox couldn't tell you which way was up at this point. Hopefully Sonic had at least some clue of where they were, but judging by his expression and innate character, more than likely the hedgehog had just pulled him off somewhere and they were now lost. Good thing Amy had Sonic radar and would be able to come find them later.

"Uh..." Tails mused as he did another once over of the purses, shirts, skirts, perfume... "I have no idea what a girl would want."

Sonic snorted. "Oh c'mon you know what Cream likes."

Tails just blinked at him, and Sonic rolled his eyes impatiently. "Tails...you just listen to yer big bro, he'll tell ya all about it..."

Tails followed his older brother off to who knows where, wondering how Sonic suddenly thought he'd become the expert on girls...

...xxx...

"You're welcome, Cream," Amy said to the rabbit after throwing yet another skirt into her cart.

The rabbit blushed. "So you brought Sonic and Tails here?"

"Of course I did. The only way you two would get together was if someone else did something." The girl shook her head. "You two and your_ shyness_."

"Amy..." Cream protested and turned as pink as the dress she had been admiring.

"Cream, c'mon, how long are you going to try and fool yourself? It's so obvious that you two like each other. Why don't you just tell him that?"

"Well, I...I'm waiting for him to make the first move."

Amy's green eyes rolled up to the ceiling before looking back at her friend. "Look, he's _not_ going to make the first move. Tails is just too shy and insecure to do that. But if you let him know you're interested..."

Cream bit her lip. "How would I do that?"

Amy grinned. "That's easy. Just tell him that you like him."

_Oh yes, real easy..._ "But that's so hard..."

"No it's not!" Amy protested. "I just don't understand shyness. It bugs the crap out of me."

"But Amy...what if..." Cream continued to gnaw at her lip. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"He does. Trust me."

Cream wished she could be so sure.

"Now c'mon, let's go find them, I've gotten enough clothes," Amy said, and laughed a little as she entered the main aisle, for that was something she hadn't said...ever.

Now, where would Sonic have dragged Tails to? Sonic may be as unpredictable as anything, but most of the time Amy was able to find him after some searching. Maybe they were picking out presents for them... She continued throughout the store, her well trained green eyes searching for her cobalt boyfriend. After making one complete lap, the girls found them hanging right by one of the cash registers. Amy didn't fail to notice that they were both toting shopping bags._ Good going, Sonic._

"Hi guys!" Amy said and lessened the distance between them. She tried to peek into Sonic's bag, but he pulled it away and glared at her playfully.

"Who said I got anything for_ you_?"

"You better not be getting_ another_ girl a present."

"What other girl deserves it?"

Cream couldn't help but smile at their exchange, but when she glanced at Tails, he looked away. Had he been looking at her?

"Well, Sonic, I got some clothes to try on. You wanna come see?" Amy offered and batted her eyelashes.

Sonic nodded, realizing that would be a good excuse to leave Tails and Cream alone. After encouraging Tails with a thumbs up, Sonic followed after his girlfriend. Although he wasn't quite sure he'd like the waiting time in between, when he did finally get to see her new outfits...it'd make it very worthwhile.

"So how'd it go?" Amy asked him when they were alone and heading for the dressing room.

"I gave him a good pep talk. The dude is way too hard on himself sometimes."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That there's no way Cream will reject him and if she does there's something wrong with her, and we all know there isn't."

Amy giggled and started sorting through her outfits. "Well, I hope it's going well between them. Now, you just wait out here, Sonic, and I'll be out in a minute to show you."

"Sure thing." Sonic took the designated seat. "But don't take _too long_, 'k?"

Amy giggled again. "It'll be worth it," she promised. "But don't come in and check on me."

Sonic turned red. "_Amy_!"

Amy just winked at him before disappearing into the dressing room. Sonic let out a small sigh, and wondered if he could make a quick run to grab a snack before she came out. Undoubtedly.

Clutching Amy's present close to him, Sonic allowed himself to make another lap around the store, searching for the exit. Goodness...why was this store just so big? He was about to give up and head back, but then realized he had no idea where the dressing rooms were either.

Curses.

Sonic came to a stop and scratched his head. _Please take forever, Amy..._His eyes did another quick scan, and finally caught the entrance. Yes! He was about to rush off, but two Mobians with orangish fur lingering to the side caught his eye. Tails and Cream.

Curiosity caught him, and Sonic sneaked up closer, hiding behind a sales kiosk to do some spying...

...xxx...

"So you didn't pick out any clothes, Cream?" Tails asked her as they were leaving the store. _Deep breaths. Relax. It's just Cream._

"No. Me and Amy were talking and I..." she blushed. "I was a little distracted."

Tails glanced at her sideways. "Do you get distracted easily?" _Ugh, what kind of question was that?_

"No, I..." she blushed harder. "We were just talking...about girl things. Amy can be a little..."

"I know," Tails joked, and when Cream laughed he did too. _Did I just make Cream laugh? _Tails was about to swell with pride, but suddenly became conscious of the weight of the bag he was holding when Cream's brown eyes came to rest on it.

"What did you buy, Tails?"

Oh snap. He took a deep breath and wiped his free hand on his leg, hoping the sweat wasn't soaking his gloves too much. "I..." he looked down and then back up. "I got...somethingforyou."

Cream blinked. "What did you say?"

Oh gosh, he had to say it _again? _"I...it's for you," he said and then extended his arm to the surprised rabbit.

"For me?" She took the bag. "Thank you so much, Tails."

"You're welcome." He smiled softly at her. Cream returned the favor.

"Do you want me to open it now?"

"Sure."

Cream spread the handles of the bag and took out a small gift wrapped box. She looked at Tails for a minute, not missing the blush on his fuzzy cheeks and how cute it made him look. Cream then turned all of her attention to the box and slowly unwrapped the ribbon and pulled apart the box. After unwrapping yet another layer of tissue paper, the gift was finally revealed to her.

There were two chains with flower pendants, alternating dark orange and peach, almost exactly matching the color of her fur. Cream knew what it was immediately, but was absolutely shocked that Tails knew about this.

"Tails..." she breathed and took out the delicate chains, still admiring them. "Thank you so much. But...how did you know us rabbits wear jewelry around our ears?"

"A salesperson, another rabbit...she helped me."

Cream nodded and studied his impossibly blue eyes. "Did Mister Sonic help you pick this out?"

Tails tried not to snort laughter. As if the hedgehog knew anything about jewelry...although what he'd gotten Amy was nice.

"No, Cream...I just picked it because...it reminded me of you. It's delicate, flowery, girly, it has your coloring, and...it's...pretty." The last word was spoken so softly that only someone with rabbit-type hearing could make it out. Luckily Cream did.

Cream blushed again. "Do you...really think that?" she whispered.

Tails nodded bashfully. Cream beamed.

"Thanks Tails. I think you're really cute. Will you...put them on for me, please?"

He blinked. "Uh, sure..."

Cream walked over to him, offering the chains. Tails received them and unhooked them, before bringing his hands up to her long, graceful ears. He suddenly became very conscious of how close their faces were at that moment, and had to focus all of his energy on getting it around her ear. Once the first one was in place, Tails moved to her other ear, but in the movement across her face, somehow his lips managed to find hers.

Cream blinked in surprise and blushed at the unexpected kiss. Had he just...

Tails pulled away immediately. "I...s-sorry Cr-cream I'm...s-" he stuttered but was soon cut off by Cream's lips returning the sweet favor.

The fox found himself completely paralyzed, but Cream made up for it and kissed him gently before pulling away too. For a second the two just stared at each other, both in a total daze, wondering if that'd just happened, or if they were dreaming. It had felt too wonderful for it to have really happened, yet here they were, standing right in front of each other in the flesh, brown eyes captivating blue and vice versa.

One thing was certain: neither of them had to wonder and dream of what a kiss felt like anymore.

...xxx...

Sonic smiled to himself._ You're welcome, buddy. _He watched his little bro and his new girlfriend go off to another store, now on their own date. His only regret was that Amy didn't get to-

Oh no! He had to get back to Amy!

Thanking his lucky stars for his speed, Sonic rushed back into the store, making a beeline for where he thought he remembered where the dressing rooms were. He let out an audible sigh at seeing no fuming pink hedgehog waiting at the entrance, and took his seat like he'd never left.

He couldn't wait to tell her about Tails and Cream. Sonic smiled once again as he pictured the way Amy's face would light up when he told her that her best friend and his best friend were now dating. Ah, things are too perfect sometimes.

The next second, he heard the sound of Amy coming out of the dressing room. Perfect timing.

"Well, Sonic, whaddya think?" Amy asked as she twirled around outside the dressing room. "Sorry I took so long but I couldn't decide which one to do first."

Sonic's jaw dropped about a foot as his eyes traced her lilac dress and the way it made her light figure stand out. But even if his mouth _was_ in an ideal position for talking...he wouldn't have words anyway.

Amy giggled. Maybe she _shouldn't _have gone with this one first...but she liked the color and the ruffles at the bottom.

"Ah...I...you...uh...uh...you look great, Amy," Sonic stuttered.

"Thanks, Sonic..." Amy said giddily and then twirled again before heading back into the dressing room.

Sonic watched her go, and was now was almost glad that there'd be another waiting period, as he didn't know how much of pretty-Amy he could handle. He turned his attention back to the gift he'd bought her. Sonic knew she'd like it...after all, it was from him. But for whatever reason, he was getting slight butterflies of giving it to her.

Soon enough, Amy came out, this time sporting a light blue skirt and top. After this came a red dress with white lacy trim, a green poofy dress just for fun, and each time, Sonic was amazed at how pretty Amy looked and at all the creative outfits she managed to put together. Sonic spent the waiting periods guessing the colors of her next outfit, only to have his imagination fully outdone by the real thing.

"So how do I look, Sonic?" Amy asked him again, this time wearing a silvery dress.

"You look great. Really pretty."

Amy pouted a little. "Sonic...you've said that the past 8 outfits."

"It's because it's true. You look great no matter what you wear, though."

"Aw...thanks," Amy said and gave him a hug.

Sonic gave her a peck on the cheek. "You ready to get outta here?"

Amy rolled her eyes slightly. "I guess if you are."

The girl headed back into the dressing room and gathered her clothes, selecting the few she wanted to buy. Sonic offered to pay for them, but Amy insisted.

"So where did Tails and Cream go?"Amy asked when they'd left the store and were heading down the aisles hand in hand.

"Aw, I'm sure they're off having fun...alone..."Sonic said, realizing it'd be better to let Cream tell Amy herself, and let the two girls gush about it together.

Amy squealed. "I'm so happy for them."

"Me too, Ames."

The girl sighed happily, and then she suddenly remembered. "So can I have my present now?"

Sonic chuckled. "Impatient, are we?"

"Only from hanging around you!"

"Ah...I suppose I could give it to ya...but," Sonic grinned mischievously. "Only if you kiss me first."

Now Amy didn't waste any time and pulled Sonic into her lips, not caring that they were in the middle of the mall. She just wanted to kiss him and get her present. Mostly just kiss him, though. Sonic felt her deepen and prolong the kiss and he gladly accepted it. Amy pulled away and nuzzled his nose.

"Jeez, if you kiss that well, I'm gonna hafta get you more presents."

"I can kiss you any time, Sonic...not just for your presents."

"Good. But either way..." he offered her the bag, feeling the butterflies breakdancing in his stomach.

Amy glanced into his green eyes lovingly before pulling out the box and unwarapping it. Nestled inside the soft lining of the box was...a silver necklace chain, one side weighed down by a red rose-shaped pendant.

"Sonic! I love it! Thank you so much!" she squealed and threw her arms around him.

"Hey, hey, you're welcome, but you haven't seen the best part..." he managed to say, despite Amy crushing his windpipe.

Amy released him and glanced at him curiously. Sonic merely grinned and turned the pendant over, revealing her and Sonic's names engraved on the back, surrounded by a curly heart. He then prepared himself for another glomp, but Amy was absolutely paralyzed.

"Oh Sonic..." her eyes started tearing up. "It's...it's.._.thank you_."

_Glad I'm not the only one at a loss for words,_ Sonic thought as he gave Amy another hug. "You're welcome, Amy."

...xxx...

**Aww! That was one of my favorite chapters to write. :)**

**If you don't like TailsxCream...sorry, but I'm not apologizing. (Wait, I just did...) There probably won't be any more TailsxCream in this story, but I'm sure you all noticed this little subplot and I'd planned to do the double date idea for a while. So I hope you all enjoyed this. :)**


	9. A Special Love

**Bullet Nick, Jacklethekitsune, The Writer's Freedom Project, IHeartSonAmy, rugtugba, cheese15624, Crails123, SwedenSpeedway, Amyfan111: Thanks for your reviews! **

**This chapter is dedicated to Bullet Nick, who gave me this super fantastic idea. He's been helping me out behind the scenes with this story as well as Passion, so I decided to let him pick what this chapter was about. Really, he's helped me more than he even knows. If it wasn't for his amazingly kind and encouraging words, this story would be collecting dust as we speak. So thanks, Bullet Nick! ^_^ I hope I do your idea justice.  
**

**...xxx...**

"Miles Prower, you have some 'splaining to do."

The fox in question snapped out of his trance that was induced by either the monotonous tightening of a screw or...a certain rabbit. Either way, all that escaped his mouth was, "Huh?"

Sonic smirked at his dazed expression. "Oh, don't give me that. You know exactly what I mean." Sonic punched his arm, returning the earlier favor. "You kissed her _didn't you_?"

Tails' whiskers flushed bright red. "You saw that?"

"I think all of Station Square_ Mall_ saw that, lil bro. But congratz, man. You finally got a girl."

"What? But...we went on _one_..._outing_ together, she's not my-"

Sonic shook his head. "Tails, Tails, Tails...if there's one thing I've learned about girls, it's this: they take everything very seriously. I mean, you can say one little thing, and they just like analyze it to the max. It's weird. So one date is like...everything to them."

Tails blinked. "Wait...so you mean...Cream and I are...boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Sonic slapped him on the back. "Of course you are! And I'm sure her and Amy are working out details of the wedding as we speak." Sonic absolutely had to turn away to grit his teeth and hold back laughter.

"W-wedding?" Two large blue orbs gaped at the blue hedgehog.

A burst of laughter coming from his teasing older brother caused a glare to replace Tails' shocked expression. "Get out, Sonic!"

"A ha ha, I got you_ good!_"

Tails crossed his arms in protest. "Ooooh, isn't _Amy _expecting you right now?"

He paused from laughing. "Yeah. But she told me to wait, as she had to get ready or somethin'." He rolled his eyes. "She makes me wait, but it's SO worth it to see how..." Sonic blushed at his thoughts. "But _anyway_, seriously...you and Cream should go out again or something."

Tails let out a sigh. "I don't know, Sonic."

"You don't know? Dude...ya gotta go out with her again. You had fun, right? It'd make her real happy."

Tails narrowed his eyes. "Amy is _so_ rubbing off on you."

"Probly not a bad thing," Sonic chuckled and rubbed his nose. "Anyway, congratz again, lil bro. But now I have my own girl to go visit."

...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...

"...and then he...kissed me." The rabbit pulled her phone away from her sensitive ears, knowing what was coming.

"CREAM!"

Amy, who'd been lounging on her loveseat, sprang up and started jumping up and down, screaming and giggling like mad. "Ohmygosh, that's amazing! I'm SO happy for you!" She let out another scream. "So what did you two do after that?"

"Well," Cream cleared her throat. "We went to that milkshake place..."

"What'd you order?"

Cream rolled her eyes a little, but tried to mind her manners. "I got peach mango, Tails got chocolate with mint. I think that he likes mint a lot."

Amy smirked. "Well, maybe you should make him something with mint in it."

"Amy, the cookies are baking right now."

The pink hedgehog giggled. "Oh Cream, I'm so proud of you."

"So how are you and Sonic doing?" Cream asked, eager to change the subject.

A contented sigh drifted over the phone. "Oh, he's just been so nice and sweet to me. Bringing me flowers, candy...and today," she giggled, "today he said that he had a big surprise to show me. And I just can't wait to see what it is."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Oh no, you know how Sonic is. Very unpredictable. But I really don't want to guess, either, becuase I want to let him surprise me. It makes it more exciting. Though I do wonder. We've kinda been trading off ideas for dates. So what are you and Tails gonna do now?"

"Nothing, I don't think...anything."

"Oh Cream, don't say that. You two are together now."

"Together?"

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, you two are going out now. Why don't you ask him to do something when you bring him those cookies? Anyway, Cream, I have to finish getting ready. Sonic said he was going to come by soon to pick me up."

"Alright, Amy. I hope you two have fun!"

"We will!"

Amy hung up and took another look through her closet, trying to decide on an outfit. She'd been hoping that by trying on all those dresses for him the other day, Sonic would give her some hint on what he'd like her to wear. But he'd been no help and said the same thing every time. Amy knew his favorite color was red, but also knew she wore that a lot already. She was thinking of going green today, to match her eyes, but Amy had no idea what they were doing, and consequently, what to wear. But by the way Sonic's eyes had gleamed when he'd told her to look her best, Amy knew it must be something special. And special dates called for special outfits.

Slipping out of her everyday red dress, Amy decided on the shiny lavender one, the very one that Sonic had been speechless about yesterday. She thought the color blended well with her fur, and it was pretty, but Amy knew she could also do some active stuff is she needed to.

Now, for the shoes - Amy pulled out a pair of matching ankle high boots to slip on. Makeup? Mascara definitely, but no blush, as Sonic would be making her blush enough. Jewelry? The necklace Sonic had bought her hadn't left her neck since he'd put it on for her. Headband? Lacking a lilac one, Amy slipped a matching pink one behind her ears. No way could she go without a headband and let Sonic see how her quills looked normally - all popped up in different directions.

As she took one final look in the mirror, though, for the first time Amy actually felt a little satisfied with her reflection. She wasn't picking out the faults and flaws...but just accepting who she was for once. Of course, the fact that she actually felt loved didn't hurt, either.

A quick glance at the clock said it was nearly one, the time Sonic promised he'd be there to pick her up. Amazingly, except for that one time he'd had to fight Eggman, Sonic had never failed to meet up with her for their dates.

The familiar chime of her doorbell snapped Amy out of her thoughts, and a grin spread over her muzzle as she went to open the door and behold her boyfriend.

"Hi Sonic!"

Now, Sonic had expected Amy to look prettier than usual, and had spent the whole run here mentally preparing himself. However, even if he'd been running all morning, it wouldn't have prepared him for_ this._

"Wow," he breathed, letting himself drink in her beauty. "You sure know how to impress a guy."

Amy beamed at him. "Well, you told me to look my best, but still be ready for anything."

"I think..." Sonic did another sweep of her outfit. "...that you pulled it off. You know, you never _ever_ disappoint me."

The girl was glowing at this point from such simple, kind words from Sonic. "I like to take the time to look nice for you."

"I appreciate it. And I don't plan on disappointing_ you_, either."

Sonic reached out take her sweet face in his hands, caressing her soft muzzle before pulling her into his lips. Sonic had no idea why kissing Amy always made him feel so good...but every time their lips met...it was like, just for a second, all was peaceful and right with the world.

He reluctantly pulled away from Amy's soft lips, but her taste lingered on his mouth. The two locked eyes, the tenderness and love obvious in that gaze.

"I love you, Sonic."

"I love you too, Amy." He winked. "Oh! I gotcha something."

"Oh you shouldn't have..." Amy said, her eyes gleaming, but she knew what was coming.

Sonic just grinned and produced a single pink carnation.

Amy smiled, but cocked her head curiously. "Not a rose?"

"Welll...I searched and searched, but I couldn't find another rose as pretty as you are, so-"

Amy squealed and crushed him in a hug, cutting off Sonic's sentence. "Oh Sonic that was SO romantic!"

"Heh..." Sonic managed to get out before Amy let go of him. "So I went with a carnation instead. Hope you're not upset."

Amy's eyes were glowing. "Of course not! I'll like whatever you give me!"

"Good." Sonic reached up and tucked the carnation behind Amy's ear, underneath her headband to keep it in place.

"Aw, thanks. You're really, really sweet, Sonic."

" 'Course I am."

The blue speedster couldn't resist another kiss, this time initiated by the pink hedgehog. Sonic quivered in pleasure as he felt her hands run down his back quills and the flesh of her lips on his.

"So, Sonic, where are you taking me?" Amy peeked up at him through her bang quills.

Sonic chuckled, and his eyes glittered mischievously. Amy would have questioned him further, but the next thing she knew, Sonic was cradling her bridal style and racing off at at least Mach 2.

Amy clutched onto him in alarm, but allowed herself to relax. She was in Sonic's arms, after all. She still had no idea where he was taking her, and with Sonic it literally could be anywhere on Mobius. For the moment, though, Amy was content to just rest in his arms, nuzzle up closer to him, feel the rush of wind through her quills, study the dizzying blur of colors, listen to the rhythm of his feet, and feel his quick reflexes at work as Sonic made sudden movements to avoid obstacles. The more she looked at the blurs of passing objects, the more impressed Amy was by Sonic, and how his brain was able to process all the sights and avoid them with lightning quickness. To Amy they were just blurs, but Sonic must see them all individually. It was simply impressive.

Suddenly the blurry colors got faster, and Amy's eyes were now bugging out of her head from the sudden rush. _Sonic must be speeding up_. She clung to him for dear life, as this was the fastest Sonic had ever gone while carrying her.

Sonic felt Amy's grip tighten and upon glancing down and seeing how frightened she looked, slowed down involuntarily.

"It's okay Amy. I know what I'm doing. I just thought you might want to go a little faster."

"No, no, keep going, Sonic," Amy insisted. "I like going fast. It's just, we haven't gone that fast yet, and I'm not used to it. But when I'm in your arms, I feel safe."

A smile tugged at his mouth. "Really?"

"Of course." Amy allowed herself to relax and settle into his firm grip.

"Alrighty then, hold on tight."

She felt his own grip tighten, and Amy followed suit, excited to think that he was going to go even faster. A rush of inertia hit Amy, and her brain was suddenly overwhelmed by the dizzying blur of colors they passed. She had to look at Sonic for some relief, as he didn't seem to be moving. He was her unmoving, stable tower. As she studied his face, though, Amy found it didn't hurt her eyes anyway. Nor the way he gently bit his soft lip in concentration, nor how his shiny green eyes looked so intense. And the rest of his features - his nose, his ears, his muzzle - all blended together into one incredibly good looking hedgehog.

"Isn't this just...awesome?" Sonic asked, not sure if that adjective was enough.

"Breathtaking."

Sonic felt her eyes on his face. "Amy? What is it?"

She smiled and giggled softly. "Just...you."

"Me?" A light blush crawled up his muzzle. "What about me?"

"Everything. You're fast, strong, sweet, cute, funny, and..." she nuzzled into his chest. "You're mine."

Sonic grinned. "I wouldn't want to be anyone else's."

They exchanged smiles, and then, to Amy's utter shock, in one quick movement Sonic lifted Amy up to give her a quick, semi-awkward kiss before lowering her to a more comfortable position. Amy was about to lick her lips to taste Sonic again, but momentum and inertia caught up with her once again as her carrier came to a halt. Luckily, though, she didn't go flying forward, because Sonic had a strong grip on her. Once Amy finally got her bearings, she took a glance around, trying to make out where Sonic had taken her.

Her only reaction was awe.

Stretching on for miles and miles were wildflowers of every color, shape, style, and size, decorating rolling, grassy hills as well as the small valleys in between them. Amy let her eyes feast on the pink, orange, blue, red, yellow, and purple petals, and of course, the green grass serving as a sort of bed for the posies.

"Sonic..."

"It's amazing, huh? Try sniffing."

Amy inhaled, and the harmony of such sweet scents hitting her nostrils almost took her breath away.

Sonic smiled down at her. "I just thought you might wanna see where I came to pick all those flowers I gave you when I first asked you out."

Amy's head whipped to face him, the memory of that huge, beautiful bouquet surfacing. "Here?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Sonic...this is incredible!" She did another sweep of the landscape. "How did you find this place?"

"Stumbled on it on one of my runs. It really is a cool hangout, huh?"

Sonic set Amy down on her feet, and the girl immediately bent over to pick a flower and sniff its heavenly scent. "I've never seen this flower before."

"I think there are some species out here that haven't been named. We're pretty far away from civilization." He cocked his head as if remembering something.

Amy looked back at him and smiled. "Thank you so much for bringing me here."

"Yer welcome. Wanna sit down and rest awhile?"

Amy nodded and did so; Sonic plopped down next to Amy and put his arm around her, smiling as she placed her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on the top of her head while stretching out his long legs to their full potential and absentmindedly twirling a flower in his free hand. Meanwhile, Amy's eyes couldn't resist tracing Sonic's legs and sneakers, thinking, wondering...

"Hey Sonic, do you ever get tired?" She blurted out.

"Yeah, of course." He chuckled. "I get real lazy sometimes. Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just, all that running you do...it seems so effortless to you."

"My speed is something I was born with, and I do have lots of energy, but..." he grinned. "Only 'cause you make me such awesome stuff to eat."

Amy giggled and looked up at him before once again surveying the breathtaking display of the variety of blossoms.

"You know, Sonic, I've always liked to know what you do when you run all the time."

"What I do?"

"Yeah. Like...what you think about."

The hedgehog blinked. "Uh...I don't think. I just run."

Amy frowned. "Oh, I'm sure you think of something. I mean, that's why you like to run, isn't it? So you can think."

Sonic furrowed his brow. He'd never thought of it that way before. "No, really, Ames, if anything it helps _clear_ the mind."

"So you just run and not think about anything?"

"Well...I..." he shifted a little as his face warmed. "I do think about you-"

"REALLY?"

Sonic was about to confirm, but had to gasp as Amy crushed him into a hug.

"Oh Sonic I was _hoping_ you'd say that!" she squealed and continued to squeeze him.

"Amy..." he gasped.

Amy released him. "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry...hehehe..." she tittered girlishy, but continued giggling.

Sonic let out a few quick breaths, but then his eyes glittered mischievously and he eyed Amy. The girl looked at him uncertain, and saw him dive for her, but couldn't dodge the fastest thing alive. And as soon as their lips met, Amy was glad she couldn't.

Sonic pulled himself on top of Amy, not like he was trying to dominate or conquer her, but to cover her in his love. His hands were stroking her ears and running through her quills as his lips teased and caressed hers. Amy accepted his kisses gladly, and returned the favor.

Sonic pulled away from her lips a little and nuzzled her nose with his. As he studied her green eyes, though, he suddenly had a thought. The hedgehog rolled off of his girlfriend, scooped her into his arms, and took off. Amy yelped a little, as just a second ago, Sonic had been kissing her, and now they were going at the speed of sound again. She didn't know how Sonic could handle that suddenness.

"Sorry, Amy, but we got more places to go," Sonic told her.

"Oh. You mean there's...more?"

"Of course. I have more in mind than just that meadow. Why not show you all of my special places? It's better to have someone to share them with."

Amy smiled and snuggled deeper into his arms, loving that Sonic had thought to take her to more of his romantic places, but didn't have much time to relax as Sonic had come to a stop again. Amy waited for her mind to catch up with her body, and once it did, she once again found herself completely stunned.

Sonic had come to a stop about a foot from the shore of a shiny, bluish green lake. Rays of the falling sun filtered through the leaves of the bordering deciduous forest and made little shiny diamonds glitter on the surface. A majestic, cascading waterfall flowed crashed down into the lake, creating whitish foam as well as action in an otherwise serene and calm place. Carving up out of the earth on one side was a wall of jagged, grayish brown rocks that supported the many tributaries of the waterfall. Amy surveyed the scene in awe, taking in the natural, unspoiled beauty. It was almost too perfect.

"This place is so _beautiful_. And romantic."

Sonic set her back on her feet, but took her hand. "I thought you'd think that. This is one of my favorite places, ya know."

"Really? With all this _water_?"

Sonic smirked, as if he'd seen that coming. "There's more to this than just the water, you know."

He started pulling Amy to walk with him along the perimeter of the lake. He was a bit wary of being so close to the water, but let himself relax. Amy was right here with him, and she made this place, one of his favorites, that much more beautiful.

Amy walked alongside Sonic, gripping his hand and admiring the landscape. They were getting closer and closer to the waterfall, and for a minute Amy thought Sonic was going to jump in. But the hedgehog merely followed the curve of the lake, angling around to get a better view of the cascading water.

"See, behind there?" Sonic pointed with his free hand. "There's a cave behind that waterfall."

"Really?" Amy angled her head to get a better look, but the water obscured her view.

"Yep. It's really cool, too, cause there's lots of pretty rocks and stuff in there."

Sonic walked out in front of her a little, leading Amy up a slight, rocky incline to get closer. Sure enough, behind the waterfall was an inviting, gaping mouth carved in the side of the rock.

Sonic turned around to grin at Amy. "A little cliche, huh?"

"But Sonic...this place is _real_," she gushed.

He chuckled, knowing that her romantic soul must be eating this up. "Yep. C'mon, let's go inside."

The couple made their way up to the opening, snaking behind the waterfall. Sonic gripped Amy's hand firmly, making sure she didn't slip on the moistened rocks. A fine mist sprayed both hedgehogs, but they took that welcome gladly upon seeing the inside of the cave.

The first thing to greet them were coral hued stalactites and stalagmites, their fingery, pointy forms jutting out of the ceiling and floor. A few rays of sunlight shined their way through the waterfall that was now behind them to illuminate the beautiful features of the cave, and Amy suddenly had a thought.

"Hey Sonic, are we going deeper into the cave?"

"Yeah, why?"

"How are we going to be able to see?"

"Oh. Well, if you go a little deeper, there's a little hole in the rock, and the sun comes through. It's really, really awesome." Sonic really didn't want to give away any more, and so he started pulling Amy into the darkness.

Amy felt no uneasiness following Sonic where she couldn't see, as she trusted him fully, but she couldn't help feel a twinge of excitement. They were off on an adventure, in a cave behind a waterfall. Could it really get anymore romantic than this? Sonic squeezed her hand to reassure her he knew what he was doing.

"We're almost there, Ames," his voice echoed in the cave.

Amy would have nodded, but a faint glow caught her eye, letting her know that Sonic had spoken the truth. Sonic, who'd been walking in front of Amy to lead them by memory, pulled up to the side so Amy could get a glimpse of this light-filled section of the cave and so he could catch her reaction.

Sonic smiled to himself as the incoming stream of light illuminated for him Amy gasping in awe, her emerald eyes growing big in delight, and her smooth lips parting and turning upwards. His heart warmed, too, for he absolutely loved to see the girl so happy. To him, seeing Amy so delighted was much more beautiful than all the wonders of Mobius combined.

She turned to look at him, but then immediately back to the incredible sight. Tucked in the corners, crevices, and pockets of the rocks were gems and jewels of every color and shape. It was like the field of flowers, but much more breathtaking, as the gems reflected the stream of light in perfect brilliance. Amy wasn't quite sure where to look, as it was all so shiny and the multi-colored lights all stole her attention. Completely overwhelmed, all Amy could do was gasp.

"This place is amazing, huh?"

"Sonic...I...I always dreamed that you would take me somewhere like this," Amy admitted softly and turned to look into his eyes. They were so full of love and joy and tenderness that Amy found she liked them more than the shiny crystals.

Sonic pulled his girl into a gentle hug. "And I always dreamed that I'd one day have a beautiful girl like you to share it with."

Her heart melted and her eyes as misty as the waterfall, Amy clutched Sonic closer to her, wanting to absorb every ounce of his warm and love.

"Oh Sonic, thank you so much..."

"Yer welcome, once again," he whispered, now blushing slightly as his hands stroking her back in a familiar pattern. "I like to make ya happy, if I can."

Amy wanted to tell Sonic that he made her happy just by being him, and that he didn't have to take her to all these places, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to sound ungrateful. However, even if she had changed her mind, Sonic would have cut her off anyway, by giving her a simple, sweet yet passionate kiss. He pulled away and winked before sliding around next to her again so they could both enjoy the gems for a little longer. It truly was a breathtaking scene.

Sonic gave his girl a squeeze. "C'mon, Amy, I still got one more place to show ya..."

"Okay."

Sonic took Amy's hand and once again led her through the darkness, and the only sound was the crashing of the waterfall steadily growing louder. Sonic had prepared himself to squint once the light hit his eyes, but the sun was much lower on the horizon than he expected. Amy noticed that as well.

"Wow, is it that late already?"

"I guess so. Either summer's ending and the days are getting shorter, or we spent a lot longer in that cave than I thought."

The couple exited the cave, getting sprayed and cooled by the fine mist again, before making their way down the slippery rocks. Sonic scooped Amy into his arms, and they were off again.

As she once again settled into Sonic's arms, Amy found that she was beginning to fall in love with going fast. There was just something about hearing nothing but the wind and the intense rush that was just so...intoxicating. She felt Sonic's rapidly swinging feet start slowing down, this time more gradually, and Amy prepared herself for yet another fascinating scene. Now completely sure they were safe, Sonic let his eyes rest on Amy so he could once again watch her reaction.

The first thing the girl noticed was there was a lot of empty space around them. Her next observation was the sky, bathed in warm colors from the setting sun. The next realization, however, stole her breath for the third time.

Sonic had brought her onto the summit of the highest mountain in Mobius. They were perched on a sort of jutting out overlook, bordered by different varieties of trees. Amy let her eyes scan the panoramic view, taking in the breathtaking sights.

"Wow..." she breathed. "I've never been this high up before..."

Sonic smiled down at her and let Amy stand next to him. "Yeah, it's a cool place, you really can see everything up here." He took Amy's hand and then pointed out various landmarks that were illuminated by the setting sun.

"See, there's your house," he paused and turned to grin at her, and Amy blushed slightly. "Angel Island over there, Mystic Ruins, there's Tails' workshop...uh, Station Square a little farther north, Twinkle Park, Green Hill Zone, Sandopolis Zone..." he paused again, his green eyes scanning everything. "Uh, there's that field we were in earlier."

All Amy could do was gape. "Sonic...thank you so much for taking me all these places!"

"Pleasure's mine, Ames. Wanna sit and watch the sunset and wait for the stars ta come out? Up here, you can see all of it real well."

Amy nodded vigorously, and the teenage couple sat down next to each other, cuddling and snuggling as they watched the sky turn from orange, pink, and red swirls to a deeper midnight blue as the sun disappeared over the horizon. A slight chill hit the air, and Amy shivered slightly, but Sonic instinctively pulled her body closer to him. Amy nuzzled into his chest, enjoying his warmth and strength.

"Sonic?"

"Hm?"

"Do you see a star yet?"

"Nope. But when I do, I'll let ya know."

"I think I'll find it first."

Sonic smirked. "Did you forget that I'm the fastest thing alive, Amy? I'm tellin' ya, _I'll_ find the first star."

Amy smiled at the typical Sonic comment. "And if I find it?"

"Then I suppose...I'll have to let you kiss me." Sonic sighed in mock disappointment.

"And if _you_ find it?"

"You'll have to let me kiss_ you._"

Amy giggled. "Wouldn't want that," she teased.

As Sonic's eyes turned up to search the darkening sky, however, he found that he liked the feel of Amy in his arms and his eyes kept drifting over to her face, and her light, pretty features. He knew that today, he'd made her really happy, and just seeing how excited she'd been by seeing three of his "special places" made the whole trip worthwhile. Sonic had to blink, as his eyes were glazing over, but right then he didn't care if Amy found the first star, as she was just too pretty _not_ to look at. And her kissing him wouldn't be so bad either.

Amy felt his gaze and she blushed slightly. "Uh, Sonic?"

"Yes, Amy?"

She shifted a little, trying to get closer. "I just wanna say, I really appreciate you taking me out here, and showing me all of these beautiful places. It really meant a lot to me."

Sonic smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I've always known about these breathtaking places, Amy. And I've often come to them just to escape and enjoy the natural beauty. But before this, I had no one to share it with...and now I do. And you, Amy, just make all these places that much more beautiful."

Two emerald orbs gleamed at Sonic, shining with awe. "Sonic...that was so romantic. I just don't know what to say..."

Sonic pulled Amy closer to him, nuzzling his nose into her pink quills and loving her trademark rosy scent. "But Amy...you mean more to me than all these places." He paused to let the words sink in. "You're more beautiful than all these places, to me. I'd trade them all for you, in a heartbeat. And it doesn't matter where I am, I'll be happy as long as I have you, and can kiss you and hold you..."

Amy's eyes were now wet from the beauty of what Sonic had just told her. And as she looked into his loving eyes, she knew that he wasn't lying, that what he'd just told her was the truth, from deep inside his soul.

"Do you really mean-"

"Every word, Amy. You are the prettiest thing in the whole world, to me."

Not able to keep her feelings locked up anymore, Amy threw herself into Sonic's lips, letting her love overflow into a passionate kiss. Sonic didn't resist her for an instant, letting her kiss him to her heart's content. But when she paused for just a second, Sonic took over, showing Amy that he'd meant everything he'd said, and then some. They both agreed it was the best kiss they'd shared yet.

And the couple continued kissing on top of the highest mountain in Mobius, completely oblivious to the appearance of the first star, further proving that they didn't care where they were, as long as they had each other.


	10. Chasing Words

**zeldaskeeper, The Writer's Freedom Project, Corrupt TE, IHeartSonAmy, Jacklethekitsune, cheese15624, SherryBlossom, SwedenSpeedway, KnuxandRouge4ever, 01sonamy01, PastaxRocks, Mana the Cat Magician, Mike Prower the Fox, FanFicReaper17, Samantha27: I want to thank Samantha27, FanFicReaper17, and 01sonamy01 for your ideas concerning this chapter...but I didn't use any of them. Now, before you all kill me, I'm not denying them completely, but they just didn't click with me. Sorry. Also, this chapter is a little..._different_ from the others. You'll see. And yes, I did change the summary, as the old one was the definition of bland.  
**

Chasing Words

A sudden gust of wind ruffled the leaves of the tree outside Amy's window, and the girl looked up from her desk hopefully. But no...the rush of air was only natural and not the product of a visit by a certain blue hedgehog's trademark speed.

Darn.

Amy let out her own gust of air as she got up from her desk to study the gentle breeze. It was such a nice day out; not a single cloud graced the lovely blue sky, and the intense heat of summer was starting to give way to crisp, cool autumn. Amy should be out there enjoying it, not cooped up in here, pretty much bored out of her mind. Daytime TV had never been any good, and frankly, Amy just didn't feel up to going to visit Cream right now. At the moment, she just had one desire. But since that had been deprived of her for - had it really been 3 days now? - Amy was left with nothing to do but...write.

It was said that absence made the heart grow fonder, and in a way that was true - being without Sonic for a while made Amy savor the time they did spend together even more. At the very least it made her reflect on all the fun dates and times they'd had, and that certainly helped her write her love letter.

Sighing as yet another light breeze reminded her of her erratic boyfriend, Amy left the view and grabbed her pink jeweled phone, hoping Rouge wasn't on a G.U.N. assignment right now. The girl bounced on her bed lightly as she fell on it, listening to the steady rings on the other end of her phone.

"Hello?" A deep but still feminine voice asked.

"Hey Rouge, it's Amy."

The tone of her voice indicated immediately to the bat that Amy's Sonic situation hadn't been resolved yet. Realizing she could be in for another long talk, Rouge turned off her TV and settled back on the couch, folding her wings around in front of her.

"Hey girl, what's up?" she asked even though she knew full well.

A sigh drifted through the phone. "You haven't seen Sonic, have you?" Amy asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Nope, Amy, I haven't. But I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later. He always does, right?"

"Yeah..." _Late_, she wanted to add. Amy also wanted to suggest Rouge tell her boss to send out some people to search for him, but knew GUN would laugh at the mission of trying to find the erratic hedgehog. Everyone knew Sonic came and went as he pleased. "But Rouge...what could be keeping him this long?"

Now it was Rouge's turn to sigh. "Amy, I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told you yesterday. Sonic's the kind of guy that needs his space. You guys saw each other for four days straight, and Sonic just needs some alone time now. There's nothing unusual about his behavior. Plus it's good for you to miss each other once in a while."

"Rouge_ I get that_," Amy said, frustrated that she was just getting the same careless and unhelpful answer from everyone. "I know he needs his space, and I'll let him have it. I'm just...afraid something might have.._.happened_ to him." Amy gnawed at her trembling lip. "I mean, he said it was only going to be a day... and it's been almost three now."

"Well, Amy," Rouge finally said. "If he's not answering his phone and no one else knows where he is, than I really don't know what to tell you except to hold on. I know that's not -"

"Thanks Rouge," the irritated hedgehog spat sarcastically, and tried her hardest not to just hang up on the bat.

"Listen, hun," Rouge said in her most soothing tone, "You need to stop crying over him. At least he warned you that he was going to be leaving, right? And I'm sure when you see him again, he'll be eager to make it up to you. In fact, he's probably off preparing something special for you."

Amy sniffed and hated how easy it was for her to cry. "I know all that, Rouge...I...I just want my Sonic," she said softly, and let her moistened eyes fall back on the three roses and one carnation as well as the picture of them together that decorated her nightstand. Sonic would come back to her sometime...right?

"Just hang in there, Amy. Remember, the hedgie really does care about you. So...what have you been up to in the meantime?" Rouge asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Well...I've been writing him a letter."

So much for that. "Not a nasty one, I hope."

"No, a...love letter." Oh, why was she telling Rouge this?

"A love letter?" the bat was incredulous.

"Yes, he's just been on my mind and I have a lot of time right now," Amy confessed as she drew a circle on her bed with her hand.

"That's good that you're not holding it against him. Well, good luck. But don't worry, he'll show up soon. I'm very sure that he hasn't forgotten about you."

Amy nodded. Rouge was right; Sonic surely hadn't forgotten about her. She just wished he wasn't so erratic. "Thanks for the encouragement."

"Any time, hun."

Amy closed her phone and got up to stretch. Another glance out the window and at the wind just gave her the same longing effect. Her only other refuge would be her desk, and that merely held words of love and Amy couldn't go back to them now. She was very much out of her lovey-dovey mood.

And right then, Amy realized she'd have to come to a decision. She could either take the same passive role that she'd been in the past few days and just wait for Sonic to show up, most likely having the same empty result; or she could take a more active role and start scouring the hills for Sonic like she used to before they were dating.

It was obvious.

After neatly folding up her love letter and sticking it in her dress pocket, Amy set her face like flint and left her house, ready to dust off her innate "Sonic radar".

...xxx...xxx...xxx...xxx...

_Oh man oh man oh man oh man...I'm in trouble._ _And that's an understatement._

_So...when exactly are you going to go make up with her? _

_Eventually..._

_You know the more you put it off, the more worried she's gonna be, and the more explaining you'll have to do..._

_I **know**, okay? Don't think I don't know that!_

_Well then, what are you waiting for? _

_I'm not** waiting**...it's just...Oh man she's going to** kill** me!_

_And the longer you wait, the more painful it's gonna be. C'mon now, you know she'll forgive you, especially if you tell her **why** you've been missing..._

_I know, but it's the time before she forgives me that I'm worried about..._

Oh, how could time have gone so quickly? On the first day, it'd been a simple relaxation day. Sonic had just told Amy he wanted to take a day to just hang, and not that he didn't like spending time with her, but wanted to be alone for a bit. Amy agreed to it, and Sonic was glad that they weren't stifling each other. He figured he should at least go check on Amy, but one thing led to another and then Egghead got involved and Sonic was just lazy after that. The next day, well...it went something like this...

...xxx... Yesterday ...xxx...

The rising sun peeked over the horizon, casting its rays on the sleeping land until they finally danced on the closed eyelids of a dozing hedgehog, who awakened immediately. A gust of wind, two rapidly pumping feet, and 3 seconds later, Sonic was on the summit to watch the sunrise. His and Amy's summit.

Oh, that was right - he'd forgotten to go see the girl yesterday. As his eyes took in the lavender tinted sky, though, an idea suddenly struck him. Amy was probably going to be missing him - so why not come up with some way to make it up to her? Besides burying her in kisses, of course. His first thought was flowers, but that was quickly shrugged off. That was something he did anyway, and Sonic wanted to do more than that. He'd already shown her his special places...so what could he do? Something that would make her squeal in happiness, something that would last a long time, something that she could keep -

The idea hit him so hard that Sonic almost fell backwards. Yes! A love letter!

After grinning and laughing cockily, Sonic rushed of to one of the only stores that was open at this hour to buy a notebook and pen, and then he was off to write the greatest love letter ever written.

Then there was the problem of_ where_ exactly he was going to write it. Sonic knew of plenty of romantic places that would inspire him, but then he realized that the greatest love letter ever penned would have to be written in more than one place, so he decided to zip around to different landscapes and write a few sentences here and there.

The field of flowers seemed like a good place to start, so Sonic tucked the notebook under his arm and arrived there in a few seconds, his mind going into overtime and his heart racing at the thought of writing this. He settled into the soft grass, leaning against a rock and straddling the notebook on his knees, and letting the scent of flowers swirl around him.

So.

His eyes scanned all the empty white lines of the paper, feeling only slightly intimidated by them. _Soon they'll be full of words of love that will make Amy go crazy. _

_So...where to start? With her name, of course. _

He scrawled Amy's full name at the top of the page, trying to keep his handwriting nice. But Sonic didn't write things all that often, only when he had to sign his name or something. Speaking of that, Sonic put to use his best cursive to scribble down his famous signature at the bottom of the page.

So.

He had Amy's name at the top, and his at the bottom. It was a good start, right? Now all he had to do was fill it in, put some words between them. No sweat.

Poising his pen right on the line on the line below Amy's name, Sonic bit his lip and waited for the words to come forth. This should be easy, right? Surely he should be able to knock this sucker out in a few minutes, tops, and then go deliver it to Amy. Oh, how her face would light up, and she'd hug him and squeal and say how much she loved it...yes, she'd love it to pieces. She would.

It really should be easy. Besides, it was about Amy, only the prettiest, sweetest, most awesome girl in the whole world. Surely there could be no greater subject matter, no greater writer...so how could this not be the greatest love letter ever?

So...he was going to start. Yes. Starting was the only issue. Once he got that first sentence down, the rest would just flow like a waterfall. Surely.

Somehow, Sonic spent the next hour or so just staring at the blank piece of paper, biting his lip, tapping the pen on the paper, trying to think of something poetic. He knew that whatever he wrote, Amy will eat it up, and so he wanted to make it good, but for whatever reason, it was like there was this block in his brain preventing him from finding the right words.

Tucking the notebook underneath his arm, Sonic jetted off to a new location, looking for some sort of inspiration. But feeling the wind whip through his quills and seeing the lovely sights did nothing for him. Sonic had never been a poetic type of guy; his speech wasn't flowery and was littered with slang and shortened words. And as it was, he had never been good at putting his thoughts into words. Much less his thoughts about Amy. And even less _to_ her, in the form of a romantic love letter she'd probably frame. Besides, all this romance and mushiness never came easy to him. Probably because he just wanted to rush right through it.

But it didn't matter. Sonic had decided to do this, and dang it, once he decided something he carried through with it. But still...he was having trouble getting anything down.

Tired of waiting for inspiration to hit him, Sonic sighed, bit the bullet, and started scrawling down whatever words came to mind and exactly what he was thinking:

...xxx...

_Amy Rose,_

_I'm having trouble writing this letter to ya. Why? Well, lemme say that I really don't have all the flowery words that I'm sure you'd love to hear. I mean, I desperately want to pour my heart out to you, but I don't have the words to say all the amazing feelings that bounce around in me whenever I think about you. They're just so thrilling. You make me so happy, Amy, and you're just so...pretty...and I want to say more, but this is all I have. Just know you mean a lot to me and...I want to make you happy, too, with words. I guess I could say that I love you, but that seems so...bland. Now don't get me wrong, every time I said them to you I've meant every one, but saying them in a letter, they seem so understated and overused, and I've always been one to blaze my own trail, Ames. I wish I could tell ya more than this, but you've always seemed to like me for who I am, so that's what I offer you: myself. And that's what I like about you, I can just be who I am around you, and you like that. So thanks for all the good times, Ames, and I can't wait to spend more time with you, you're amazing._

_~ Sonic the Hedgehog ~_

...xxx...

_Ugh._

Not even bothering to reread it, Sonic crumpled the note into a ball and hurled it as far away from him as he could, trying to get it out of his thoughts and vision.

That was, quite simply, the worst love letter ever written.

Sonic brought himself to his feet and zoomed off again, realizing that he'd just spent about a good couple of hours in one place voluntarily. That didn't happen too often.

He was thinking that now, he really should go see Amy and tell her what was up, but Sonic really didn't want to go empty handed. Especially now that he'd wasted so much of the day already on that blasted note that couldn't even consider a love letter.

_Hey...you're giving up, blue? You can't do that. You need to write the dang letter._

_I know. I just...don't wanna anymore.  
_

_Sonic...you know you have to do it now. And just think of how **happy **Amy will be when she reads it. _

_Ah...argh! Okay, okay, I'll write it. _

Sighing and not believing that this was so hard for him, once again Sonic settled down, not even really noticing where his feet had brought him. He sat at the base of a tree, letting his back quills cut into the bark, and sighed again. It really shouldn't be this hard, but dang it he was going to do this if it killed him. He was going to write a letter...with some _juice_.

Sonic spent the rest of the day just lazing around, thinking of Amy, and trying to put those thoughts into words somehow. He was able to come up with a few things to say, even though it all sounded so tacky and cliche and cheesy. But Sonic knew that this was the type of thing Amy liked, so he was willing to stretch himself to write it.

It had taken him a whole day - literally, a whole day - to write both letters, and Sonic was shocked to see that the sun was going down when it did. He had planned on delivering the letter to her today...but now he was getting a little anxious of how mad she was going to be when he finally did approach her again. Besides, he wasn't sure how good his second attempt at the best love letter ever written was, and was nervous of how Amy would finally react to it.

So the hedgehog decided to wait one more day to finally see Amy, and hope that she wasn't too upset with him...

...xxx... Present Day ...xxx...

_Yeah, looks like tomorrow never comes, huh? _

_Sonic, you seriously need to stop talking to **yourself **and go talk to** Amy. **_

_Yeah, I'm going, I'm going. _

Still, anxiety was dancing through his chest, and his heart clenched when Amy's street and her house came into view. She was going to kill him, wasn't she? Sonic could just picture her reaction when he confessed that he really didn't have a good reason for leaving her, and had only been avoiding her for her reaction...

Still. He was doing this.

Treading carefully, Sonic made his way up to the porch. He clutched the bouquet of pink and yellow lilies closer to him, hoping that they'd be enough to say he was sorry. Sonic's gloved finger hovered above the doorbell for a second, but after one large exhale of nervous energy, Sonic took the plunge.

Ding - dong.

_Wait for it...wait for it..._

Silence. The hinges of the door remained still, as did the rest of the house. Oh no...was Amy in there crying? Was she not home at all?

"Ames?" Sonic called out. "Ames, ya home? It's Sonic, I'm here, I'm sorry."

Still silence. Was she crying her eyes out in there, and didn't want to talk to him? No, that was unlikely, Amy was either going to crush him in a hug or under her Piko Piko Hammer as soon as she saw him. So that meant she just wasn't home. Well, crap.

Maybe the others knew where she was.

He didn't have any more time to waste, then. His next destination was, of course, Tails. Sonic hadn't seen the fox, either for the three days, but didn't worry about him. He busted into his workshop in no time.

"Hey, lil -"

_"Sonic!" _

A loud clang echoed through the workshop as Tails threw down his wrench and raced toward the blue hedgehog. "Where have you_ been?_"

Sonic backed up, for Tails was scowling something fierce. "Heh heh, nowhere, I -"

"Sonic, do you know that Amy has been calling me every other hour asking me if I've seen you? Why did you do this to us?" His blue eyes narrowed.

"Look, calm down man, I'm sorry, but...it's not a big deal."

The fox crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. _Oh, Sonic, what are we going to do with you?_ "Ugh...look, for the record, I wasn't worried, and that's what I told Amy, that you do stuff like this all the time, but she's just been so impossible to deal with."

Sonic winced. "I know. But I'm planning on making it up to her."

"Well, you just missed her, you know. She was by here not even an hour ago."

His ears perked up. "Really? Did you see where she went?"

"Nope. Only that she was going to go find you, and considering you really could be anywhere, so could she."

Crap.

"Okay Tails, I'm off to find her," Sonic said and raced out the door before he could hear Tails wish him good luck.

So...Amy was out looking for him now. Where would be the first place that she would look? It was impossible to say, but Sonic tried to summon all of his search instincts and look desperately for the color pink all throughout Mobius.

...xxx...xxx...xxx...

_So...if I was Sonic, where would I be?_

_Anywhere, _Amy concluded bitterly.

_Or nowhere. _

Amy frowned as yet another gust of wind played with her quills and ruffled the the flowers at her feet. It was all so romantic, if only she had someone to share it with.

_Am I just being selfish? _she wondered._ Am I just being too needy and clingy? I didn't try to be...I just wanted to spend time with him. I understand if he needs some space, I really do, but...I miss you, Sonic. Please come back to me.  
_

"Sonic!" Amy called into the wind, hoping that maybe it would carry it to his ears, wherever he was at the time. "Sonic, where _are_ you?"

The breeze gave her no reply, no help, no answer, just a light whistling sound in her ears. Amy frowned once again, but gasped as a crumpled up ball of paper suddenly rolled over her boots, carried by the offending wind.

_Huh_, she thought and bent over to grab it before it got away. _I can't believe that someone would think to litter in this beautiful flower garden. Does no one ever **think **anymore? _

Amy clutched the ball of paper in her hand, and started searching for a trash can. Seeing none in sight, the girl glanced back down at it curiously. It didn't look like just trash; the ball wasn't that tightly crumpled, allowing it to flow freely in the wind. In fact, Amy could even see some words written on the side of it in a cobalt blue ink. The color tore at her heart, and she wished that everything didn't remind her of him right now... _It's just trash, Amy_, she told herself, and yet...she felt oddly compelled to open it.

Feeling a bit odd, like she was opening up someone else's mail, Amy slowly peeled apart the edges of the paper, unfolding and unwrapping the ball of paper. Pulling on the edges of the letter to smooth out some of the wrinkles, Amy started reading some of the words.

WHAT?

Amy blinked. What...this...that was _her_ name at the very top of the paper! Her eyes instantly dropped to the last line...

_You have **got** to be kidding me. _

If her eyes didn't deceive her, what Amy held in her hands was a _love letter _written to her by none other than_ Sonic himself_. How in the world had it happened to arrive at her feet? Carried by the wind?

_This is** so** romantic! _Amy couldn't help but think as she found herself grinning. Once she got over her initial spaz, Amy plopped down on the ground and started eagerly digesting every word that he'd written to her.

By the end, she found herself giggling up a storm and clutching the wrinkled paper to her chest as intense happiness ran through her heart. It was so sweet! And to think that he couldn't come up with words for her...that in itself was romantic. But still, what he had written...it was just so...so..._cute _and so_ Sonic.  
_

So this is what Sonic had been up to all this time, writing her a love letter! _Oh Sonic, you really, really know how to pay your dues!_ Although the only thing she couldn't understand was why he'd thrown it away, why he'd crumpled it up. Did he not like it?

Well, whatever, Amy was glad that she'd managed to find it. She, herself, loved every word of it. It was just so..._Sonic_, and Amy loved it, and loved everything about him, his quirkiness, everything.

Amy reread the letter over and over, trying to memorize every word, and instantly forgiving Sonic for avoiding her for a few days.

...xxx...

_Really, how many pink things are there in the world? _Sonic wondered as he did another scan of the landscape. Another flash of a rose hue caused him to stare for a millisecond... but no, it was just a billboard._ Oh Ames, I really hope nothing happened to you..._

He let out another sigh, but there was nothing to do but keep looking. He'd checked everywhere, it seemed, everywhere that Amy could go in an hour's radius from Tails' workshop. This really was all his fault, wasn't it? He shouldn't have left her, even for a second. Why, what if Eggman got a hold of her? If that loser bent _one quill _of hers out of shape, Sonic didn't know what he'd do...

"Amy?" He shouted into the wind. "Amy, where _are_ you?"

Sonic really didn't know how much good that would do, as he was clipping at a pretty good speed, and his words were swallowed up in the air.

"_Amy_..." he whispered, and felt the desperate, needing plea float behind him. If only she could hear him now.

_This must be how she'd always felt, looking everywhere for me, being so worried. Oh Ames...hopefully my new love letter should make it up to you. _

Feeling a little heartbroken, Sonic decided to come to a stop. He'd come back to one of "their places", the field of flowers. He glanced down at the posies for a second, and decided that he would just have to go stake out her house tonight and she if she came back home. If not...well, he wouldn't let himself think about that.

Sonic kept staring at the ground, thinking and worrying, when a very familiar sound hit his ears: a light, happy giggle. His ears perked up. Turning instantly toward the direction, hope flooding his heart, Sonic couldn't stop a grin from exploding on his face as his heart leapt out of his chest upon seeing that it did indeed belong to his girl.

_"Amy!"_ Sonic yelled, instantly relived and happier than he'd been since they first started dating. He rushed over to Amy and tackled the poor girl, returning one of her famous crushing hugs. "I've been looking _everywhere_ for you!"

"_Sonic_! Where -" Amy started, but was cut off by Sonic's lips. The hedgehog had thrown himself on top of her, clutching her desperately like he might have lost her forever, and kissing her deeply, passionately, and quickly. After a good 3 minutes of lip locking, Sonic finally pulled back and studied her face, letting one of his hands carress it. Man, he'd missed her more than he thought he would.

"Amy, I'm_ so sorry_," he apologized. "I didn't mean for it to go on for three days. Honestly. I'm never doing that to you _again_."

"It's okay..." Amy said, holding onto Sonic as well. The hedgehog rolled off of her so she wouldn't be crushed by all of his weight, but still cuddled up right next to Amy, so they were on their sides, their chests almost touching.

Amy stared into his deep green eyes and lifted a hand up to touch his ears and quills, very relieved that he was alright and they were now back together again. "But I was worried about you."

Sonic moved his hands down from her face to traced her quills and neck. "You should never be worried about me."

"I can't help it," Amy said and smiled at him. "But...what have you been up to, anyway?"

Sonic flushed pink. "Uh...I...wrote you a letter."

She giggled. "I know you did."

Sonic frowned. How in the world could she have figured that out? "You do?'

"Yep." Amy removed her hands from around Sonic to pull out the wrinkled love letter out of her dress pocket.

All the blood drained from Sonic's face as he eyed the worst love letter ever written. "What? How did you find _that?_"

Amy was still giggling. "Well, I was looking everywhere for you, and then all of a sudden, there was this gust of wind, and the letter rolled over my boots."

Sonic blinked. What were the odds of _that_ happening? But jeez...she'd read that? Man, he knew he should have really thrown it away, but it'd left such an awful taste in his mouth that he'd just want to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

"I didn't know that you were a litter bug," Amy teased him.

Sonic blushed. "Uh...I was too lazy to find a trash can."

Amy frowned at him, but she was inwardly glowing that the old Sonic was back. She'd missed him terribly. "Too lazy? Sonic, how many_ miles _did you run today?"

A smile played at his lips. "But I was going where _I _wanted to."

"Sonic, if you litter..." she said in a mildly threatening tone.

"Yeah, I know, the environment and all that jazz. But anyway...Amy...you weren't _supposed _to read _that." _He said, diverting his eyes in embarrassment.

Amy tilted her head and her smile returned. "Why not? I loved it!"

Sonic turned his eyes back to her, amazed. "You liked_ that_? It was awful."

Amy nuzzled into his blushing muzzle. "Of course I did. It was _so you_, Sonic. It was just really sweet. You know, I don't care about all that flowery stuff. I just want you to be who you are, okay?"

Sonic studied her lovely, smiling face that was so close to his, and her absolute sincerity touched his heart. This girl really, truly loved him for who he was, didn't she. Wow, was he lucky or what? Not able to resist her, Sonic took hold of her face and guided her lips toward his, letting his thanks overflow into a kiss.

When they pulled back, the love evident in the resulting gaze, Sonic wanted to tell Amy that he'd done better and written her another love letter, knowing she'd enjoy this one even more, but he merely kept his arm around the girl and didn't reach for the storage in his back quills just yet.

"Well, Sonic, it's funny," she said and giggled again, "because I wrote you a letter, too."

He blinked. "Really? There's an awful lot of coincidences going on here..." Sonic said, but his heart was pounding as Amy took her arm from around him to reach into her dress pocket. She produced a red and pink envelope with nice swirly stationary. His name was written on the front in girly script and surrounded by hearts. Sonic reached to take it from her, her muzzle now matching his as she giggled yet again.

"I hope you like it," Amy said, her eyes gleaming.

"Thanks, I'm sure that I will," Sonic said, and leaned back a little from her, sticking a gloved finger into the seal of the envelope.

"Wait!" Amy cried, and Sonic's eyes snapped to her.

"What?"

"You're going to read it, now?" she asked, her forest green eyes big.

"Yeah, why not?"

Amy frowned a little, but figured it couldn't hurt. She was a little anxious about what he was going to think of it, since it was a little over mushy, but why wait any longer. "Uh, go ahead, then," she said.

"You sure?" Sonic asked, tilting his head and grinning softly.

"Yeah, go ahead, Sonic."

"Alrighty then." He winked and then turned his attention back to the letter. Within a second he had it opened and his eyes scanned the girly script, and softly smiling at how much care it probably took her to write this. He knew for a fact that he'd enjoy it...

...xxx...

_Dear Sonic,_

_Where can I start?_

_I could start by saying that ever since I've met you 4 years, 211 days ago, you've captured my heart. There was just something in the way you carried yourself: you were confident, but not so full of yourself that you couldn't stoop to help others out. You had the attitude, yet you cared about everyone...everyone, it seemed, but me. And yet, there was something about you that was so captivating, so mysterious, that I just couldn't help but notice you...that is, whenever you and I crossed paths. Soon after you'd leave me in rush of wind, but you could never ever leave my thoughts or my heart. There was something about you that was just so different, and you captivated me. And you still do, Sonic. More than ever._

_I'm not going to dwell on the past, Sonic, because that's over with. And, for the past 37 days, you have made me more happy than I'd ever been in my life. You just pay so much attention to me, make me feel like I'm actually valuable and worth something. You make me feel pretty. So thank you so much for everything you've done for me.  
_

_But I didn't write this letter about me, but about you. Because you are just so...cute and funny and nice and sweet and handsome and kind and selfless and witty and...Sonic. You truly are who you are, and you don't care about what others think of you; you just live life._

_I love how you give everything of yourself. I love how easy it is for you to beat old Egghead. It's so easy to make you blush (and when you do, you look simply adorable! Though you look cute, anyway). I love to see a blue blur flash by and know you must be having fun running your heart out. I love how you always have something funny to say, even in the worst situations. I love all your jokes._

_And your speed...I always know that no matter what happens to me, you'll always come to save me. _

_I love how you don't let anything bother you for too long and can just shrug it off so easily. Your confidence inspires me. You look so cute in your reclining pose. I love it when you brush my bangs out of my eyes and smile._

_When you grin and wink at me, my whole body just melts. Your quills are just so perfect, and I love to run my fingers through them and tease them. Your ears are so cute, too. And you're so strong! When I'm in your arms, I feel safe. I love it when we go really fast, and to see how focused you look. And your eyes...they're so pretty and shiny, and I could stare into them forever. _

_If I listed everything I loved about you, it'd take me the rest of my life, but Sonic...I really hope to spend it with you._

_With all my love,_

_~Amy Rose~_

...xxx...

Wow...

Sonic bashfully moved his eyes up to meet Amy's beaming face, quite sure that he was blushing way more than she was just then. What a letter...

_"Amy..." _Sonic said softly and brought the girl back into his arms, feeling her nestle into him. But Sonic couldn't let her go anywhere but into his lips. He couldn't help but lead the kiss at first, kissing her with all his love, but soon he felt Amy's lips become stronger, and he let her take over for a minute, fully enjoying the tingles of pleasure all through his body.

"Thanks..." he said once they broke, but feeling that was a bit of an understatement.

"Did you like it?" Amy asked him.

"It was amazing. The best love letter I've ever read."

Amy raised a suspicious eyebrow. "And how many_ have_ you read?"

Sonic grinned. "Just one. But that may be all I need to read."

"Well," Amy nuzzled into him again. "I do think there's more where that came from."

Sonic blushed deeper at this, especially when he thought of the implication behind her last line. But whatever, it wasn't time to be thinking about that just yet. Not now, not when he could just hold her and kiss her...speaking of that...

"Hey Sonic?" Amy said, interrupting his wish.

"Yeah?" He said, only slightly annoyed.

"You said you wrote me a letter, but seemed surprised when I already knew about it."

Crap. Now he was going to have to give it to her. Right now. And watch her read it in front of him...

"Yeah...I uh, I didn't like that one too much, so I wrote you another one."

Amy's eyes lit up. She knew it. "So...where is it?"

Sonic smiled and removed his hands from Amy's waist to reach into his back quills, producing a much more modest looking letter than the one she'd given him. "Here ya go."

Amy beamed and took the letter from him, very eager to see what he'd been working on the past few days...

...xxx...

_Amy Rose, _

_You are a rose among thorns. You are my source of joy. You are that extra mile that keeps my feet pumping. You are what makes this world worth saving. _

_I can just run and run and run, with nothing but thoughts of you fueling me. Your face pops into my head, and I smile. I love to hold you in my arms, not only when I run, but any time at all. Whenever I pick a flower, I picture how your face will light up when I give it to you. _

_I'd take you over a chili dog, any day. _

_You always smell much sweeter than roses. When we kiss, all is right in the world. It's so cute when you nuzzle my chest. I like it when you touch my back quills. I love how your bang quills fall in front of your gorgeous eyes. Your giggle is adorable. Your muzzle is really soft, but your lips are even softer, and I could kiss you all day if I didn't have to breathe.  
_

_The reason that I tease you is because you're so cute when you're angry. The grass really is jealous because your eyes are more green than it. I love how you always take the time to look extra pretty for me. _

_But most of all, Amy, I love you, and I love your resilience and strength, and how you never gave up on me, despite that I've been a jerk to you way too many times. And I love how you always look on the bright side no matter what, and will do anything for your friends. _

_I love you, Amy. Forever.  
_

_~ Your Sonic ~_

_...xxx..._

Amy could only get through the first sentence before the happy waterworks turned on, and she read the rest with blurry yet joyous vision. Over and over she turned the words in her mind, letting their sweetness and truth melt her heart with a burning flame of ecstasy.

_"Oh Sonic! Thank you!"  
_

The handwriting of the letter may have been sloppy and fast, but that just added to the character of it. And besides, the thoughts behind those words were unmistakable. In fact, re reading through it showed Amy that each little sentence was written in a slightly different script, indicating that Sonic must have thought each of these out.

Sonic. _Thinking. _

Of her.

It was all so...romantic.

Two big fat tears plopped onto the paper, and Amy clutched the best love letter ever written to her chest to let out the loudest squeal of joy imaginable as Sonic enveloped her in a hug.

"I meant every word, Ames...and then some," Sonic whispered before pulling Amy into his lips.

...xxx...

**Ah yes, gotta love love letters. There's just something in the thought of Sonic writing a love letter (and failing because of his impatience and lack of vocabulary) and that Amy would love him anyway just struck me. And I'm sure those of you writers as well as readers can appreciate Sonic's thought process and writer's block. Plus writing the good ones was a lot of fun, as well.**

**And I know this wasn't really a...date, per se. But this story has sort of become where I can go to write down situations that Sonic and Amy find themselves in once they are dating. I guess it could have been a separate story, but I tried to tie in stuff from the other chapters as well.**

**Besides...I do think that Sonic would like some alone time at least once in a while, but he'd always come back to Amy because he LOVES her. Either way, I created a bit of suspense in the early part of the chapter, as opposed to the way I've been starting them off. Hope you all liked this chapter, though it was a bit different from the others.**


	11. Improvisation

_**Purplefridge, Mana the Cat Magician, Crails123, Jacklethekitsune, 01sonamy01, ultimateCCC, AutoKnight01, IHeartSonAmy, Mike Prower the Fox, cheese15624, firerose9318, zeldaskeeper, LightvsDark99, Writer's Freedom, GalexiatheChao, sonamy fan, Sonamy Lover:**_

**OH MY GOSH I MISSED THIS STORY! TOO MUCH! A few days ago I reread the whole thing, and then the reviews, and I teared up as the memories flooded me of when I wrote all these old chapters. My faves have to be chapters 6, 8, 9, and 10. Wow... I missed this story... so flipping much! And no,_ it's never going to end_, as long as I can keep thinking of dates. Which I do believe can be arranged. :3 (Though this one I'm not too confident in (it's a little... scattered...) ... but I simply HAD to update this story. It's been driving me bananas all week.)  
**

**Also, some people asked in earlier reviews about whether or not there would be any drama or action in this story. Most certainly not. This is a fluff only story: the dates that Sonic and Amy go on. A sort of haven, if you will: a place you go when you need to satisfy a fluff craving. Maybe it's unrealistic but... If you want drama or action, read my other fics. :D WAIT, don't gooooo! Read this chapter first!  
**

...xxx...

Improvisation

...xxx...

"Let's see here, was that one egg or two?"

Brushing her stray bang quills out of her eyes with one ungloved hand, Amy used the other to reach for her cookbook, her bare fingertips grazing the flour covered page. She traced down the recipe once again, confirming her suspicions.

"Two," she breathed and then walked over to her fridge, opening the cold, humming appliance and rummaging through it until she finally came upon the eggs.

She took out the two smooth, ivory elliptical spheres and placed them on the counter next to the flour, sugar, and baking soda. Amy was a very methodical baker; she always pulled out all of the ingredients and then started cooking. That way, she didn't get halfway through the steps and then realize that she was out of something and have to run to the store to pick it up. It was much more efficient this way.

_Planning ahead is so underrated. _

Amy smiled to herself as she went back into the fridge to get out the milk and... special ingredients, giggling as she pictured the look on Sonic's face when she gave this to him. Oh, he'd be _so_ happy; his eyes would light up, his lips would part in a grin, and he would smother her in a hug and bury her in kisses. Amy absolutely loved to bake anyway, but baking for Sonic? Now that had to be one of her favorite pass times.

Man... was this girl lucky or what? She had only the most sweet, heroic, witty, and handsome guy in the whole _world_ as her boyfriend. And, given the chance, Sonic actually _could_ be romantic. Why, just the other day, he'd written her two love letters, that were currently framed and hanging above her nightstand. A table that was soon becoming cluttered with roses, carnations, and lilies given by said hedgehog.

Amy couldn't help but squeal as she twirled around her kitchen, placing the milk next to her other ingredients. After looking back over the recipe, Amy realized she had everything ready and started measuring out the different ingredients. Contented hums drifted through the air of the kitchen, mingling with the sweet smells of soon to be baked goods as Amy started to work.

The timer suddenly buzzed from the corner, and Amy smiled at realizing that her first batch was done. After pulling on a flowered oven mitt, the pink hedgehog opened her oven door to remove a tray full of sizzling peanut butter cookies and set them down on her counter to cool off.

_Sonic's going to love these_, Amy thought. _I just hope that I can finish everything soon. _

She glanced up at the red-painted clock and winced. Was it really already 4:30? _Better get going, _Amy realized and turned back to her mixing bowl. The girl was getting so into the recipe that she was completely tuned out of everything else.

"Hey Amy."

The girl practically jumped out of her fur as she spun around, summoning her hammer almost involuntarily. Unfortunately, when Amy pulled it out, her mallet struck the mixing bowl, sending it flying off the counter and spilling her messy concoction all over her kitchen floor.

"Oooooh," Amy whined, but turned her eyes back up to her invader, to glare at him. "Sonic! What are _you_ doing here?"

Chuckles escaped Sonic's lips as he crossed the kitchen floor, stepping right over the mess. "Good to see you too, Ames."

Amy merely scowled at him, upset that not only had he made her spill, but now the surprise was ruined. She bent over to start sopping up the mess with a kitchen towel. "How did you get_ in_ here, anyway?"

Sonic merely shrugged. "You left your back door open." A blush exploded on Amy's muzzle, but Sonic continued, "You know, that's probably not-"

"What were you doing in my backyard?" she snapped, looking back up at him once her floor was back to being somewhat clean.

Sonic wasn't fazed a bit by her outbursts - he found them quite adorable actually, the way her pretty features got all scrunched up. Especially since he knew she never stayed mad for long... not when she'd find out why he came to visit... "That's for me to know and you to _never_ find out," Sonic continued to joke before pulling Amy into his arms and staring deeply into her gorgeous eyes.

Amy's countenance immediately softened now that she was being held by Sonic's muscular arms and his face was so close to hers, wearing a loving expression. He leaned forward just slightly, so his longer nose touched hers, nuzzling it until Amy finally smiled.

"_There_ we go," Sonic said and leaned forward even more to whisper on her mouth, "You look cute when you're angry, but_ so_ much prettier when you smile."

Their lips met in blissful contact, making both hedgehogs quiver in pleasure as they enjoyed the other's lips. Amy raised her bare hands to caress Sonic's chest, weaving growing tufts of tan fur between her fingers. As she moved across his chest, Amy couldn't help but notice a few patches of fur felt damp. Her lips twitched in wonder but Amy kept on kissing Sonic, though she continued exploring his chest, picking out the wet spots. After a moment Sonic gently pulled away, a blush covering his muzzle as he knew he'd been caught.

"Were you taking a bath earlier?" Amy teased him, her voice an inch away from a giggle.

"Nah, I got caught in a pop-up rainstorm," Sonic admitted and turned from Amy briefly to glance out her window at the gathering dark clouds. "And I think it's heading this way."

Amy followed his gaze and frowned. That certainly threw a wrench in her plans for a picnic. "Darn."

"Yeah, it came on pretty suddenly. I thought that it might rain but I... just got caught in it," Sonic concluded, unwilling to share what he'd been doing. Typical.

Amy tilted her head. "You don't like running in the rain, do you?"

"Depends," Sonic said, a crooked smile appearing. "Sometimes I do, I like to race thunder or try and dodge raindrops. Plus the rain looks really cool when I'm running... I really don't like getting wet, though."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "So the _only_ reason you're here is cause of the rain?"

Sonic snorted. "Here I'm startin' ta think you _don't want_ me around," he said and pulled away, pouting in mock sadness.

"Sonic, of course I'm glad you're here!" Amy said quickly, but her eyes drifted down to the half cleaned up mess.

"_Sure_ ya do," Sonic said. "I guess I'm just going to -"

A loud rumble cut him off, and Sonic tensed up only to realize it was just thunder. A few seconds later, a hissing sound filled the kitchen as the heavy clouds unleashed their wet fury onto the world below, drenching every inch of the earth in a sudden torrent of heavy rain.

"Looks like you're stuck with me, Ames," he said and looked back out the rain-splattered window, watching tears drip down the panes. "I'm not runnin' in _that _mess."

"Oh poor me, I only have to deal with the guy I'm in love with," Amy said and fake-pouted as Sonic blushed, "but with you here, I don't know how much_ baking_ I'll be able to get done."

"Well, I'll tell ya what," the blue hedgehog said, looking back at his girl. "I'll help ya out."

For a second Amy just stared at him, and then she snorted laughter.

"What?" Sonic asked, genuinely confused as Amy continued to lightly shake from compressed laughter in his grip.

"Sonic when have you ever cooked before?" she asked, her lips pulled back to reveal her gleaming teeth.

"Oh, I've cooked plenty of times," Sonic said, puffing his chest out proudly.

"I mean,_ besides_ chili dogs," Amy teased him.

Sonic's face visibly fell but he quickly recovered by snapping his fingers and then pointing at Amy. "Pancakes," he said trimphantly.

This time Amy didn't even stare at Sonic, she just pulled him closer to her and smiled into his still damp chest. "Oh Sonic... you are the most adorable thing _ev_er."

"What's wrong with pancakes?" Sonic asked, but couldn't help but chuckle a bit himself, as Amy's joy was contagious.

Finally Amy caught her breath and looked back up at her boyfriend. "Nothing, Sonic. But you act like they're such a big deal. Pancakes are easy."

"They are not!" Sonic insisted, suddenly finding himself on the defensive. "You have to put everything in just the right amount, and then you have to_ wait forever_ to flip them..."

Amy started giggling again, and Sonic realized he'd just blown his cover.

"Okay, so maybe I'm not the greatest... but," he continued and removed his hand from Amy's waist to lightly touch her nose. "I wouldn't mind learnin' from the best of them."

The pink hedgehog couldn't help but blush and smile. "Alright then Sonic." She removed her ungloved hands from his unruly quills after ruffling them a bit. "Let's get to work then, huh?"

"You bet," Sonic said and gingerly peeled off his gloves. After rinsing off his now-bare fingers in the sink, he set the white cotton coverings on the side of Amy's counter and turned back to the girl.

"So... what were you making anyway?" Sonic asked, doing a sweep of her kitchen, his eyes lighting up upon spying some tasty morsels in the corner.

Amy frowned and glanced at her empty bowl and the wasted ingredients. "It was _supposed_ to be a surprise-"

"Thorry," Sonic quickly apologized with his mouth full, then swallowed.

Amy looked at him, smirking when she realized he'd found the peanut butter cookies. "It's okay, Sonic, it wasn't really your fault. I was just making you a _chili dog pie_."

Salivating at just the thought, Sonic unhinged his lower jaw as he gained a dazed expression. "Oh oh oh, I wrecked _that_? Man. I'm gonna have to make that one up to ya."

"Well, I'd like to make that again, but since you made me spill the filling we'll have to make something else," Amy told him. "Unless you'd like to run to the store in this weather."

"I'll pass," Sonic said, taking another glance outside at the darkening atmosphere. "What else ya got?"

"Lemme look," Amy said and crossed the kitchen to thumb through the trusty cookbook that Ella had given her so long ago. She found the dessert section and gnawed on her lip as she traced down the list. With Sonic here, she wouldn't be able to make all that much, and with the weather being how it was, a picnic was out of the question, so her previous plans were ruined.

So much for planning ahead.

Cookies? No, she'd just made those. Amy really had her heart set on that pie but she couldn't make it now. A cake? Amy paused at the picture of a highly ornate wedding cake that decorated the first page of the section. It really was gorgeous, with it's heavy yet delicate frosting and cascading layers, and Amy couldn't help but dream and imagine it gracing the table of her and Sonic's wedding. She giggled, and Sonic looked up at her, his cheeks bulged from munching.

"What?"

Amy said nothing, but she just held up the picture of the bright white layered cake. A deep blush emerged on Sonic's face and he painfully swallowed his whole mouthful, wincing as the unchewed mass tugged at his throat the whole way down.

"Uh..." was all he could say, as his muzzle felt like flames were consuming it. "You know someone gettin' hitched?"

Amy laughed once again and did a little twirl, her blue plaid apron swirling around her. "Yep, heeheehee, she's just waiting for the guy to formally ask her."

Sonic frowned a little from bashfulness and his hand flew to the back of his head, gripping one of his quills. "Aww, _Ames_... why don't you wait... til he's errr, _ready_...before ya go an'... do that..." he said, avoiding looking straight into her gorgeous green eyes.

"Okay, Sonic, I know how to wait for you," she teased and shot her boyfriend a wink whilst sticking out her little pink tongue in his direction.

At yet another giggle, the blue hedgehog had to smile at how cute she sounded, but did nothing but go for his fourth cookie, eager to change the subject.

"Soo... what else ya got? Why don't we make another pie, since you already have the crust done?"

"Okay," Amy said and turned back to her collection of recipes, this time heading for the pie section. She scanned the different kinds of pies, trying to decide. Apple? No, her kitchen was deprived of the sweet fruit since it wasn't quite fall (prime apple season) yet. Which left...

"Hey, Sonic, could you look in my freezer to see what kind of frozen fruit I have in there?" Amy requested, still looking down.

"Sure," he said and did just that. He was greeted with an arctic blast right in his face upon opening the door, and shivered slightly, but reached inside to search through the frozen packages. Since he wasn't used to using his bare hands, the temperature stung his nerves even more.

"Uh... looks like you have blueberries and strawberries," Sonic said and laid both bags on the counter next to her filling, warming his hands on Amy's shoulders.

Amy studied both bags before a grin lit up her face at realizing something. "Oh Sonic that's _perfect_!" she squealed and turned to hug him.

"Uh..."

"Don't you _see_? Strawberry and blueberry?" Sonic just blinked, confused, and Amy frowned. "The _colors,_ Sonic! They match you and me."

His jade eyes flew down to the bags and he smiled. "Oooooh! Gotcha. So strawberry-blueberry pie it is, then, huh?"

Amy nodded and pulled away so she could read the recipe. "Mmm hmm. I've never tried this recipe before but I think it'll work. Okay, so... 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups blueberries, 2 cups strawberries... I think we have all of-"

"Done," Sonic said proudly and smirked when Amy turned to look at him.

Her eyes flew wide in surprise at seeing Sonic had already added all of the ingredients into the bowl.

"Did you measure those out?" she asked skeptically, her hands on her hips.

"Of course!" Sonic puffed his chest out along with his lower lip.

"And you only added _one cup_ of sugar?"

A sheepish frown tugged at his lips. "Yeah... well... it was overflowing but..."

Amy grinned. "It's okay, Sonic I do that all the time. But wow... you were really _fast_ with all of that measuring..."

His typical cocky expression re-emerged. "This is _me _we're talking about."

"Oh, how could I forget?" Amy said and shot him a smile. Sonic winked in response. "Now, we stir this up and then pour it into the crust."

Amy headed over the bowl and lifted it, letting the blue and red mixture flow down into the tan colored crust, taking pains to make sure it layered evenly into the pan.

"And now...?" Sonic asked impatiently.

"We cover it with strips of dough and then let it bake," Amy said from memory.

Sonic frowned, having no idea what to do, but watched in wonder as his girl rolled out the dough and then cut it into long, thin strips before weaving them together to form a lattice pattern on top. The blue hedgehog found himself amazed at Amy's natural, delicate skill at working with the food, and a proud smile crawled up his muzzle.

Once Amy had finished making the topping and stuck her finished pie in the oven at the right temperature, she brushed her bang quills out of her eyes so she could glance at Sonic. He was wearing an odd smile, and Amy tilted her head in a questioning gesture.

"You really are a natural, aren't you, Ames?"

Her peach muzzle took on the color of the strawberries as Sonic approached her, letting his hands fall to her waist and his lips fall to hers. Amy kissed him back sweetly, happy that Sonic thought she was a good baker, as the sound of rain created a gentle, soothing background.

"You taste like sugar," Sonic whispered once he pulled away, his heart pounding at being so close to her.

"You taste like peanut butter," Amy teased him.

"Yer fault."

Amy giggled and kissed him once again, fully enjoying the feel of his lips strongly caressing hers. He was such a wonderful kisser that Amy had to wonder if he was just a natural at it. He had to be. Either that or she was just so attracted to everything that he did. Or both.

Once Sonic broke the kiss because of his need for air, he studied Amy's pretty, blushing face, his heart pounding even faster. "So... what're we making now?" he asked.

"Well... why don't we do up the dishes... I mean, I might need some of this stuff in later recipes."

Sonic visibly frowned. "That doesn't sound like much fun."

"Fine, then no pie for you," Amy said but had to turn to hide her grin.

"Oh c'mon Ames, I helped!" Sonic protested, trying to get in front of Amy as she headed for the sink.

But the girl kept fake ignoring him as she stacked up the dishes, though she was trying so hard not to laugh.

Sonic scowled. "Jeez... you don't even have a dishwasher, do you?"

Amy sighed. "It broke. I've asked Tails to come fix it for me but he keeps forgetting. I'm _hoping_ it's because his mind is on a certain rabbit."

Sonic chuckled. "No dice, Ames. We may have to play matchmaker again."

"I dunno, Sonic. I've been pushing Cream to go visit him. Wash or dry?"

He grabbed a towel, causing Amy to start the hot water. "Dry. Yeah, I've been pushing Tails the same. He always makes up some excuse about why he won't do anything."

Amy's eyes darted towards him while she shut the water off. "That's how _you _used to be."

"Yeah, and _now_ you got me comin' ta visit you when you _don't __want _me," he teased right back.

"Sonic, you are _always_ welcome at my house," Amy clarified and started scrubbing down the measuring cups.

"I know," he said and paused, his jade eyes drifting back outside. The rhythm of the rain was steadily increasing, forming larger and larger puddles in Amy's yard. He frowned a little in thought. Would it be okay? Surely the rain wouldn't ruin it... it might even help, right?

"Sonic?"

"Oh, sorry," he apologized and started drying off the cups.

Amy glanced at him in wonder as once again, his handsome features became glazed over from zoning out. She shrugged a little, knowing Sonic wasn't likely to share and glanced back down at her soapy water.

Ah.

A mischievous grin spread over her face as Amy gathered a handful of water and tossed it right at her boyfriend.

"Hey!" Sonic protested as he backed up, even though it was too late to avoid the sudden wave of water that soaked his chest.

Amy quickly wiped the smirk off to feign innocence. "Oh, did I splash you? I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sonic muttered and brought his towel up to dry off his fur, despising the feel of the liquid.

Amy turned to glance at him, biting her lower lip to conceal laughter at Sonic's expression. She was about to aim another water bomb, when suddenly, all of the lights snapped off, leaving both hedgehogs in utter darkness.

Amy yelped in surprise and immediately jumped at Sonic, encasing the hedgehog in a tight hug.

" 'S okay, Amy, the powers' just out," he whispered and held her close to him, rubbing her back.

Amy didn't say anything; she just slowly lifted her head to look at him as she dried her hands on the sides of her apron. Since it was dark, she really could only make out the outline of his face and quills. However, she could feel the warmth of his body pressing against hers.

For awhile, the two just stood there, holding each other, hearing nothing but each other's heartbeats and breaths along with the steady pounding of rain on Amy's roof. It was very peaceful for a moment until Sonic, feeling a bit awkward, started rocking back and forth, shifting his weight between his legs.

"So... what're we gonna do?" he said gently, feeling an odd urge to be quiet.

Amy turned her head, brushing across his chest. "Well, there goes the pie, huh?"

"Yeah, 's too bad. I was looking forward to eating it."

A smile tugged at Amy's lips. "Yeah, maybe it'll come back on soon."

The couple waited a few more seconds, but no dice. Sonic hmmed.

"Well, Ames, you wanna go look at the rain? Not like we can do much else..."

She nodded and pulled out of Sonic's arms, then started heading for the back door. Sonic panicked briefly before gently taking Amy's wrist and pulling her towards the front. The girl obliged but had to wonder what Sonic could be hiding back there.

Upon opening the door, the couple was greeted with a warm gust of sticky, humid air and the crashing of large raindrops striking the ground almost ferociously, disturbing the puddles that were beginning to accumulate on the ground. The heavy, blackish clouds roared in anger, accompanying the bright streaks of lightning that lit up the otherwise dull, gloomy sky.

Amy clutched closer to Sonic at yet another boom, and her boyfriend accepted her embrace gladly. It wasn't that Amy was truly scared of the thunder, but she'd take any excuse to be able to cuddle with Sonic. The guy didn't mind it one bit - he raised his hands to run them through her silky quills as Amy planted gentle pecks on his chest.

The two kept holding each other, mesmerized by the powerful storm crashing around them.

"Sorry this didn't come out like I planned," Amy whispered an apology against Sonic's chest.

"Hey, 's okay," he said and stroked her ears. "I had a blast anyway. 'Sides, it can't keep raining this hard forever. Soon it'll be over and the sun'll be out."

Amy nodded and studied the rainfall once more before her eyes drifted up to Sonic, who was smiling down at her. That was the one thing she liked about being shorter than Sonic - she felt safe when he wrapped himself around her. Amy snuggled deeper into him, smiling at his presence. Still... she couldn't help but feel a bit... guilty that her plans had been totally ruined by this storm, even though it wasn't her fault in the least. She wanted to make Sonic happy, and she knew that cooking was nowhere near his favorite activity. But what could they do? Sonic didn't like to run in the rain, and it wasn't safe anyway, and with the power out they could only just stand here and wait...

She let out a small sigh, and for some reason her eyes pricked before the liquid pressure evaporated. This was supposed to be such a nice, relaxing picnic, but now she could practically feel Sonic's impatience, like it was tangible. The hedgehog's arms which had been holding her tensed up.

"Hey, since the power's out and we can't go anywhere, let alone have your picnic," Sonic started, feeling a bit odd suggesting this, "why don't we, uh... improvise?"

Amy's brow furrowed in wonder. "Improvise?"

"Yeah... you got candles, right?"

"Candles? Yes..." A roll of thunder delayed her response and gave her an extra second to think. Her eyes lit up as she caught on. "Sonic... a candlelit dinner?"

"Now there's an idea," Sonic said, glad Amy had been the one to say it.

"That's _so_ romantic!" A smile erupted on her face before fading. "But... what're we gonna eat?"

"Don't you worry about that, Ames," Sonic assured her. "You just take care of the candles and decorations, I'll get the food."

"B-but... you're not going to run in that!" she insisted.

He swallowed his fear, knowing he'd have to salvage the situation. "Why not?"

"Ooooh, what if there's a... _tornado_ or something?"Amy protested, clutching tightly to his sides as her mind conjured up the worst possibilities.

He chuckled. "Ames, I've already been in a 'tornado'. Good thing Tails is a rockin' pilot, huh?"

Amy rolled her eyes at his lame joke, but had to smile. Sonic leaned forward and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek. "Now, don't worry about me. I'll be back in a jiffy."

And the next thing Amy knew, Sonic disappeared into the storm. Amy blinked with wide eyes. Had Sonic just...?

_That guy... you never know what he's gonna do next_, Amy thought fondly, shaking her head as she went back inside.

Now... candles and matches. Where did she keep them again? Her eyes had to squint as she searched the darkened house, trying to make sense of where she was. Remembering that she kept them in an odd drawer, Amy started heading for her kitchen, stretching out her hands so she didn't bump into any walls. She was clumsy enough without being deprived of sight.

Soon enough, Amy had managed to scrounge up 4 tall candles, two rose and two vanilla scented along with the matches. She set them on the table and thought. What else would she need for a dinner? A tablecloth and placemats.

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, the girl was able to make it all the way to her room without bumping into anything. Amy quickly selected a pure white, flowing tablecloth and dark red placemats, as well as gold candlesticks to grace the table.

_This is so not what I had planned_, Amy thought as she set up the table, draping the tablecloth over the oak frame and setting the other accessories just so. _But... we're making the best of it. _Another crash of thunder startled her. _I just hope Sonic's okay out there. I know he is, he can handle a storm, but... I can't help but worry about him. _

She glanced back into her kitchen, now anxious about her pie. Amy wanted to check on it, but knew that if she opened her oven, the heat would be let out. It'd be better to let it stay in there to let the lingering heat cook it, and hope that the power came back on soon.

But then... she glanced back at her decorated table and smiled. No, now she didn't want the power to snap back on. _Because this way, we get to have a romantic, candlelit dinner. _

Which reminded her.

Amy headed back into her bedroom, wiggling out of her messy apron. She knew that no dinner would be complete without a super gorgeous dress, now would it? But which one to pick? Searching through her closet in near total darkness proved to be an exercise in memory. Her still bare hands flew over each dress, trying to let the texture remind her of what the dress actually looked like. Why, Amy had enough trouble picking what to wear as it was, let alone when she couldn't even see!

She frowned a little as she started feeling up one silky one in particular. Her eyes strained, but all she was seeing was a tinted gray. Was this the green one? She sure hoped so.

After darting a glance at her door, Amy quickly slipped out of her light blue dress and into what she hoped was the silky green one. Once the smooth fabric was covering her body, Amy headed back for the kitchen to get the candles lit so when Sonic came back they could start eating. It was going on 6 o'clock, actually.

Amy struck her match, quickly retracting her finger so it wouldn't burn her. She brought the burning stick up so all four of the wicks could share in the flame. Once they were lit, Amy blew out the match and surveyed her handiwork. Flickers of light stole her attention and lit up the corners, revealing a elegantly decorated table.

_It does look romantic... but I have to wonder what food Sonic is getting..._

"Ah... that feels better," Sonic's voice suddenly carried from her kitchen, letting the girl know he'd come in the back door. Amy perked up and glanced at him, barely able to make out his drenched form in the doorway. She could hear the water pouring off his frame, and sympathy twinged her heart.

"Oh, Sonic, lemme get you some towels," Amy said and ran back into her bathroom to get them.

The male hedgehog waited as patiently as he could in her kitchen, his eyes immediately drawn to the four lit candles gracing the decorated table. It made him smile.

_Amy, Amy, Amy, that's my girl. _

The tender thought passed as a shiver ran down Sonic's back. Man... that storm really was a doozy. And it didn't help that all the food places near Amy's house were also out of power, meaning he had to go on an extra long run. Fortunately, once he'd gotten outside of the thunderstorm, he'd been able to pick up some food no problem.

_I sure hope that Amy likes what I got... I couldn't think of anything else..._

His thoughts were interrupted by Amy approaching him and tossing him a white fluffy towel. Grinning, Sonic set the food down and snatched it, quickly drying every drop of water from his body, shuddering when he was finished.

"Thank you so much, Sonic," Amy said graciously while picking up the boxes of food Sonic had brought home. "I'm glad you made it back okay."

"Ah, no prob," he said and looked for a place to set the damp towel.

"Just throw it in my room, Sonic," Amy offered.

He did so and then turned to get ready for dinner.

"So, Amy... I hope you're ready for this romantic dinner thing."

A giggle escaped her lips at Sonic's attempt at being romantic. "Yeah... thanks once again."

"Thank you for decorating. The candles are nice. Now, you wanna sit?"

"Sure," Amy said and headed over to her chair.

Not missing a beat, Sonic rushed to her side and pulled out her chair. Amy blushed and sat down, trying so hard not to laugh as Sonic pushed her chair under the table.

"Good evening. My name is Sonic and I will be your waiter tonight." Sonic suddenly approached the side of the table, cradling the two food boxes, one in each hand, using his most formal voice. "How are you doing this evening, miss?"

"_Son_-ic," Amy couldn't contain her giggles, though she tried by bringing her fist up to her lips.

"I'm glad that you are in a good mood, miss." At this point, Sonic was holding back his own laughter, and a light chuckle escaped his lips before he composed himself. "Now, your food is ready. Were you the one who ordered ..." The 'waiter' peeked inside one of the boxes. "Chili dogs?"

Amy frowned, but the next thing she knew, Sonic was back at his seat, raising one finger. "That's me."

In a flash he was back up again. "I see. Here you are, sir." Sonic set one box down in front of the empty chair and then opened the other box. "Ah, miss, this must be yours. Chicken Parmesan?"

Sonic's only regret was that, in the shadowy darkness, he could barely make out the expression of pure happiness on Amy's face at this nostalgic gesture. For a minute the girl could only gape at him, surprised and shocked but deeply touched.

"Sonic..." she said breathlessly, her eyes tearing up. "You... remembered..."

A silly grin lit up Sonic's face as he leaned forward to place the meal in front of his girlfriend. " 'Course I did," he whispered as he slid across the table from her.

Amy gnawed at her lip for a minute, inhaling the wonderful smells of the cheese-covered chicken breast, still amazed that Sonic had remembered what she ordered on their third date together. Maybe this dinner didn't have lobster or some other exotic seafood, and maybe it wasn't at a fancy restaurant or at the beach but in her own living room, but in a way... just because it was her and Sonic... it was romantic enough.

Amy found herself smiling contentedly throughout the whole meal, stealing glances at Sonic while she was chewing. The candle flames created sparks in his already shiny green eyes, turning the jade irises into gorgeous polished gems. The candle flames danced across his face, allowing bright red hues to spread along his muzzle, which was otherwise covered in chili and that same cute grin. But Amy didn't mind... she had her Sonic, what else did she need?

The rain and thunder had eased up considerably since Sonic had come back, but the gentle pitter-patters still had a calming effect on the couple, who remained mostly silent throughout the meal, just enjoying the other's presence. Even though Sonic was the first one to finish, he didn't try to hurry Amy along at all, and just sat lazily back in his chair, smiling at the lovely pink hedgie across the table. The candles were doing something amazing to her face... something that made her look more alluring than usual.

Sonic extended his still bare hand across the table, and Amy met him halfway, slipping her hand underneath his. He stroked her knuckles and the top of her hand, giving Amy a gentle smile and a trademark wink. Amy's heart fluttered at the gesture, and she returned the sweet smile - which, in turn, had the same effect on Sonic's heart.

"Did ya enjoy the meal, Ames?" he asked once Amy had finished.

"I did, thanks for running to get it. Sorry this didn't turn out." She tiled her head apologetically.

"Hey, it turned out alright, didn't it? We got a dinner out of it anyhow. And cookies. And a pie."

"With all this food, Sonic, sometimes I wonder how you stay so skinny," Amy teased him.

"Oh puh-lease," he drawled, "I think it may have to do with the couple thousand_ miles_ I get in every day."

"Even on a rainy day?"

"Yep, I make do..." Sonic glanced out the window and smiled. "Oh look, it stopped raining!"

"That's ironic," Amy said at looked outside at the world, the moisture and humidity still lingering on the trees and roof.

"No, that's..." Sonic trailed off and looked at his hands. "That's... Amy I gotta show ya somethin'." He said and stood up suddenly, surprising the girl.

"Okay," she said, her heart racing as she remembered that Sonic seemed to be hiding something from her all evening. What could it be?

Sonic blew out all four candles in huffs, scattering smoke among the dining room, and then took Amy's hand to finally lead the curious girl to her backyard. The grass was still soaked, and Sonic suppressed a grumble at having to get wet again but told himself it'd be worth it once Amy saw his surprise. Ah, his surprise. It had been a spur of the moment idea (but with him, that was to be expected) and Sonic had ended up getting into it. As he approached the surprise, Sonic turned around to give Amy another reassuring grin before stepping to the side.

Just at that moment, the dark gray clouds parted, allowing a few rays of sunlight squeeze through, casting a sort of spotlight on Sonic's gift. Amy could only gape as her eyes traced out two lines of alternating blue and pink tulips, curling and curving to form a delicate heart.

"Sonic... you planted these?" Amy squeaked, turning to look at her boyfriend with liquid eyes.

"Naw, I think the rain must've washed em-"

He was cut off by a giddy pink hedgehog wrapping her strong arms around his chest.

"Oh Sonic that's _so_ romantic! Like you and me... a heart of blue and **_piiiiink_**~" she squealed the last word.

His muzzle now flaming, Sonic brought his left hand up to the back of his head, gripping one of his quills bashfully. When Amy looked up, she _had_ to smile at seeing how red his face was shaded.

"Heh... glad you like it..."

"Sonic... how did you get this idea?" she asked, almost bouncing from joy and excitement.

"Well, on one of my runs I saw a group of blue and pink flowers, and I just randomly got this thought. I know you're not a big fan of gardening, but I think Cream would love to tell ya more... heck, I asked her and Vanilla about how ta plant stuff and they showed me... it got real boring but I got the gist of it. That's what I was doin' this morning, and why I was in your backyard earlier. I'm just glad ya didn't hear me. I was trying to be quiet. But anyway, luckily with it raining the soil was moist enough that I didn't have to dig with too much hard ground, and the flowers just slipped out when I picked them, though I kept the roots so they could still grow. You know, Ames, I always pick all the flowers I give you myself, right?"

He paused, realizing he'd just given her a whole mouthful, and she hadn't said anything. "Ames?"

The girl was still leaning up against him, her hands stroking his back quills, watery green eyes admiring the heart made of petals hued in the two colors that went so well together.

"I figured you would pick them," she finally said, nuzzling into her boyfriend.

"Oh, it's much more fun to look for them than to buy them."

"And more romantic," Amy muttered before looking up at Sonic, hoping to give him a hint.

Sonic wasted no time and moved his hand up to Amy's head, capturing her lips into a kiss.

Amy smiled in delight at the kiss, and then, suddenly, for the first time, she felt his tongue. It initially shocked her, for Sonic hadn't done this before, but she found herself almost giggling, as his tongue started playing with the inside of her lips. She opened her mouth just a little wider, allowing him entrance. His tongue was almost shy at first as he gently explored her mouth, but Amy encouraged him with her own tongue. It certainly felt a bit odd, but it wasn't unpleasant in the least.

Just then Sonic broke the kiss, his muzzle covered in a deep blush as he studied Amy's face. "Was that too fast?" he asked, a little unsure, and not wanting to rush her.

"No, it was fine, Sonic, I liked it," Amy assured him, though she found it _so cute_ that he would think to ask that.

"Okay, good," Sonic said and then molded his lips against hers once more, letting his tongue roam a little farther this time.

He felt like he was in perfect paradise as he held Amy close to him, kissing her deeper than he ever had before. Amy succumbed to the electrifying feeling, holding Sonic in her arms and enjoying every second.

After a moment, Sonic reluctantly pulled away, a smile gracing the lips that had just been against Amy's. "Now, let's go in for that pie, huh? I'm starvin'."

"Sonic! You just ate!" Amy playfully scolded him.

"I know, but I'm dying to try that pie, aren't you?"

"Yeah, Sonic, hopefully the power's back on now," Amy said and led him back inside.

And as Amy sat down on her back porch to enjoy a piece of the freshly baked strawberry-blueberry pie with Sonic and admired his landscaping handiwork, she only had one thought.

Planning ahead is so overrated.

...xxx...

EEK, I make Sonic too romantic. Oh well... A girl can dream, I suppose. x3

I spent the whole day writing this chapter... now I'm about ready to die. So forgive any errors, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I didn't get this thing up tonight. x_x

NOW! I hope you all liked it. It's amazing how sometimes things don't go as planned, but they come out better. See... I had a few ideas for this chapter, but it sorta wrote itself into this weird, odd collection. And I always plan out my stories, but I dunno... I hoped you all liked it. Oh, and triple chocolate mint cookies to anyone who knows how I knew that Amy doesn't like gardening. :3

Thanks for reading, guys and gals! :D Thanks... zzzzzzzzzzzzz


	12. Falling In Love

Novus Umbra, Mana the Cat Magician, poka, Jacklethekitsune, SherryBlossom, 01sonamy01, cheese15624, GalexiatheChao, Agent-Cecilia, Writer's Freedom, IHeartSonAmy, AutoKnight01, Mike Prower the Fox, SkulY2K, Crails123:

You know what I love about this story?

The fact that every month or whenever I finish a new story I reread this one so I can update it again... and I still love it. Maybe I'm cringing at the first four chapters and wanting to rewrite them... but I keep them the way they are to show just how far I've come as a writer.

Anyway, less talk, more writing! This chapter is LONG so get yourself real comfortable... I hope it makes up for the two month wait on this story and two week wait overall...

* * *

Falling In Love

A metal-tipped rake scratched its way across the yellowing grass, digging into the dry ground and gathering brown and orange leaves that were strewn across the lawn. The pink hedgehog that was wielding the tool hummed contentedly to herself as more and more leaves fell around her, spinning and twirling before finding repose on her yard. Raking leaves could be a monotonous chore, but Amy decided to enjoy it as much as she could. After all, life was sweet right now. And besides, it was an excuse for her friends to come over and help her out.

"Amy, these are just gorgeous!" A certain rabbit suddenly gushed, and Amy turned to smile at her best friend.

"Oh, I didn't show you those yet?" Amy asked as she wiped some of the gathering sweat on her forehead. The young teen headed over to Cream, who was bending over to inspect the group of pink and blue tulips that were curved in lines to form a heart shape.

"When did you get these? I haven't seen them before..." Cream asked, her chocolate eyes wide in amazement.

Amy sighed in happiness. "Sonic planted them for me. Isn't that so _sweet_ of him?"

"Really? Mr. _Sonic _did this?" Cream was incredulous.

Amy nodded. "Mmm-hmm. He told me he asked you and your mom to show him how to plant flowers, because otherwise he'd be totally clueless on how to do it," she giggled.

Cream smiled back in remembrance, though she found herself oddly wishing that a boy would do that for her. Though as her eyes traced the blue and pink flowers, she still felt happy that Amy had found a guy of her own.

"Well, they really are pretty," Cream said truthfully, for she loved flowers. "Sonic is sweet to do that for you."

Amy nodded, and then both girls resumed raking Amy's yard, piling up the vermilion-hued leaves spinning down from the gnarly oak, skinny maple, and full serviceberry trees gracing her backyard like columns. Amy continued humming the tune of a song that had been in her head all day, the beats matching the rhythm of her rake. For any other girl, the laborious raking would make her arms sore, but it was times like these that made Amy glad that she used her hammer to develop some muscles in her upper body. A steady wind ruffled the the leaves that were hanging by a thread to their source, though a few of them finally were loosened and freed to travel downwards thanks to gravity. Amy found herself shivering as the cold wind kept piercing her fur and goosebumps raced up her bare arms.

"Cream, I'm gonna go grab a jacket, it's getting chilly out here," she said and dropped her rake, the metal clanging to the ground.

"Okay," Cream acknowledged and was glad that Vanilla had insisted that she wear a sweater on this crisp day.

Amy let out a warm sigh as she entered her house. Even though it wasn't quite cold enough to turn the heater on, there was enough of a nip in the air to keep anyone who ventured outside feeling refreshed and awake, unlike the sluggish, sticky days of summer. The girl made a beeline for her room and closet before selecting a simple pink zippered light jacket to throw on over her t-shirt and jeans. Just when she was about to head back outside, her doorbell chimed.

_Oh good, he's here!_

A smirk carved its way up her face as Amy skipped over to the door, opening it to reveal... a two-tailed fox holding a toolkit in his left hand.

"Tails?" Amy feigned surprise, even though she'd been fully expecting him.

"Hey Amy, uh... Sonic told me you needed your dishwasher fixed?" Tails asked, shifting his weight a little awkwardly, his tails wagging behind him.

"Oh... yeah, it's been broken for a while," Amy turned to the kitchen, if only to try and compose her grin. She was such a terrible actor; even though her dishwasher was truly broken, that was only the hook to get Tails to conveniently come over when her and Cream would be raking leaves... Amy composed herself and turned back to Tails. "I'd love it if you fixed it for me."

"I don't mind, you know I like fixing stuff," the boy gave a small smile and entered Amy's house, wiping the mud off of his sneakers.

"Thanks a ton Tails," Amy started leading him deeper into her house. "And when you're done... I have a pumpkin pie cooling by the stove that you're welcome to."

Tails eyes lit up in anticipation as he started unpacking his toolkit onto the kitchen floor. "Oh boy... thanks Amy..."

"No problem. I'll be outside raking leaves if you need me..." She gave him a friendly smile and then almost raced back outside, eager to see Cream's face and leaving Tails to work.

"Oh _Cre-eam_..." Amy said in a singsong voice whilst giggling as she grabbed her rake again. "Guess who's _he-re_!"

The rabbit looked up from her modest pile of leaves. "Sonic?"

Amy scowled a bit. "No! _Tails_!"

The rabbit turned a shade of pink that put Amy to shame. "Oh..."

"He came to fix my dishwasher, but... I think he's just using that as an excuse because he heard _you_'d be over here..." Amy teased her.

Cream was too embarrassed to say anything. _Could it be that he actually does like me?_

"Weeelll, aren't you gonna go inside and say _hello_? It'd be awful _rude_ not to..." Amy smirked, not afraid to play a little dirty.

Cream had her eyes trained firmly on the ground. "A-my... I don't want to bother him if he's working..."

"It's _Tails_, Cream. He won't take that long to fix it. Besides, you know he'd like some company. And you two can share that pumpkin pie we baked earlier."

Cream gnawed at her lip in indecision. Part of her was too embarrassed to go in there and see her crush, but most of her was dying to see him again. It wasn't often that she got to talk with him anyway.

"So you don't mind if I go in there and leave you to-"

"Oh, no no no, don't worry about me," Amy said, waving off Cream's reluctance. "I can handle the rest of the raking by myself. Go inside, it's fine with me!"

"Thank you." Not needing much further prompting, Cream just smiled and set the rake against Amy's storage shed and entered the house.

Amy let out a laugh. _Everything's going according to plan_, the hedgehog thought as she continued using her rake to gather up the fallen leaves. _Now, Sonic should be here any minute..._

Oddly enough, this whole hookup between Tails and Cream had been the blue hedgehog's idea, not Amy's. Sonic had told her that he'd get Tails to come over to fix her dishwasher and then he'd be soon behind. Amy couldn't wait to see her boyfriend; she had a plan for what they could do today.

Feeling light and happy, Amy started softly singing the lyrics to her favorite love song,

_Why is my face turning bright red,_  
_and I can't get you out of my head_?

_Why do I have no idea what to say,_  
_And when you leave I want you to stay?_

_Why do I want you and no one else,_  
_And when you're with other girls I'm jealous?_

_Why do you keep me warmer than a glove?_  
_I think it's because I'm in love..._

_Love_

_I never knew what I was gettin' into_

_Love _

_You took me by surprise, didn't give me any clue_

_Love  
_

_It happened so fast, just out of the blue_

_Love_

_I think I'm falling in love with you..._

Amy was about to start on the second verse when out of nowhere, a tenor voice beat her to it, singing,

_Why is my heart beating so fast,_  
_And I can't seem to relax?_

The pink hedgehog gasped in shock before a grin overtook her face and she rapidly spun her head around, looking for the origin of that voice._ "_Sonic?"

"Heh heh heh_," _was the only thing that greeted Amy, further confirming that it was indeed her boyfriend who finished the verse for her.

_"_Sonic, where are you?" Amy continued to look for him, but saw no cobalt hedgehog in her backyard.

"Behind your tree, Ames," came the unmistakable voice.

Amy didn't waste any time, hurling her rake away and dashing behind the maple tree, eager to behold her boyfriend. Her face fell when all she saw was a gust of wind that stirred up the leaf pile.

"Sonic?"

"Over here, Ames..." Sonic continued to tease from behind her other tree.

Amy frowned but chased after him again, only to have Sonic allude her and race away.

"Son_-ic_" Amy protested and pouted, her hands on her hips. "Stay_ still!_"

Sonic's only regret was that he didn't get to see Amy's adorable pout. "Gotta catch me!" he said playfully, and zipped out of the way as Amy lunged for him again.

Amy set her face in a determined line and continued to chase after her boyfriend, but he kept avoiding her, laughing as he saw her determination and frustration mount. He just couldn't help himself from teasing Amy, as she looked so cute... and besides, he loved to be chased. So the game continued, with Sonic and Amy laughing and darting in and out of the trees that lined Amy's yard. Sonic would allow Amy to get really close to grabbing him, but then dash away as the last second, thrilled with the pursuit. All the while, he was fascinated with Amy's attempts, and kept watching her face almost light up and then fall, and her pretty features got all scrunched up...

BAM!

Without even realizing what he'd done, Sonic suddenly found himself on his back, buried in a pile of leaves. It wasn't until Amy dove on top of him in glee that he realized he must have been so distracted by watching Amy that he'd run into a tree... _again. _

Elated that she'd finally caught him, Amy wrapped her strong arms around Sonic, squeezing him close to her as her lips molded against his, kissing him strongly in sweet victory. Sonic enjoyed Amy deeply kissing him for a few seconds and then grabbed a hold of her to playfully roll both of them around in the leaves. The two rambunctious hedgehogs were laughing hard as they spun around through the pile, throwing leaves at each other's faces, rolling around, and taking in the musty scent and sharp crunching sounds of the leaves breaking around them. The two were completely surrounded by the dying foliage, and their rolling and throwing was sending all of Amy's hard work scattered all over the yard again.

After some more playful goofing off, the two finally stopped to catch their breath, Sonic lying on his back and Amy on top of him. His chest heaving from the exertion and being so close to Amy, Sonic brushed away her bang-quills lovingly as the two stared deeply into the other's shiny green eyes.

Sonic was just about to kiss her when Amy started giggling, "You ran into a tree _again_... just like when we were skating."

He blushed. "Yeah, 'spose I did... yer fault though."

Amy laughed and rested her head on Sonic's shoulder. He was underneath her, but his arms were wrapped protectively around her back, holding Amy close to himself. The male hedgehog stuck his nose into her quills, inhaling Amy's rosy scent that overpowered even the musty smell of the leaves.

"Oh!" Amy said and almost leaped up, causing Sonic to jump.

"What?" he asked, his jade eyes searching the yard for anything wrong.

"You can sing!" Amy almost shouted, looking down at her boyfriend with wide, almost accusing eyes. "And you never told me! Why didn't you tell me that _soon_er?"

Sonic turned a deep shade of scarlet. "Ah... I really_ can't_, ya know... it was a miracle I could remember that verse, actually..."

"But you just did..." Amy ignored him for just a minute, her mind falling into a fantasy as her hand ran up and down his strong, furry chest. "Maybe one day, you can sing for me, outside my window... at night..." Amy's eyes glazed over as she pictured Sonic singing just for her, under the stars...

"Aw, I don't know, Amy..." Sonic blushed at the thought of doing something that girly and romantic... but then again, if Amy really wanted that...

Amy sighed but puckered her lips up to kiss his nose before snuggling back against his shoulder and chest, her arms wrapped around him lovingly. "Oh, okay... I guess that's fine..." Amy said, her disappointment evident. "I'm just glad that you came to see me."

"What, did ya think I'd forget about ya?"

"You better not _ever _forget about me," Amy said in a mock threatening tone.

"I wouldn't want to... and I don't think I could even if I tried..." Sonic assured her and took hold of her chin to gently guide her lips up to his for a sweet kiss.

"I love you Amy," he said tenderly.

"Oh, I love you too, Sonic," Amy returned and nuzzled against him.

After this, the two just lied together in the leaves, holding each other and cuddling. They both just enjoyed the others prescence and warmth, each with their own tender and loving thoughts.

"So..." Sonic broke the silence after a few minutes. "Did Tails get here okay?"

"Yep. He's in there right now with Cream."

Sonic smirked. "_Sucker_."

"Sonic, you shouldn't say that," Amy scolded him playfully.

"Aw, c'mon, you know I love my little bro. I'm just doin' what's good for him..." he paused before an idea popped into his head. "Hey, wanna go spy on them in there?"

Amy shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

With that, Amy untangled herself from around her boyfriend and stood up straight, brushing the leaves off of her clothes. Sonic used his powerful legs to spring himself upright before picking off the leaves from his fur. Amy giggled and reached for his long quills to pick out the pieces that were still stuck in them. Sonic smiled his thanks before doing the same to Amy's quills, although just as an excuse to touch her, for her quills were already free of the leaves.

Now that they were both relatively clean, Sonic took Amy's hand and started leading her stealthily up to the window. Amy couldn't resist another look back at her yard, a little dismayed to see that the leaves were now scattered all over it again thanks to their antics of chasing and rolling and throwing leaves at each other.

"That was fun but... now I'm gonna have to do all that raking again," Amy said, frowning a little.

"Bah, why rake leaves if more are just gonna fall? Leave 'em where they are," Sonic said with rather careless shrug.

"But then my yard will get ruined."

"And then you won't have to cut your grass, right?"

Amy rolled her eyes but smiled at Sonic.

The two hedgehogs stealthily approached the window that gave them a peek into the kitchen. They looked inside between the shades, only to see a fox and rabbit laughing over pumpkin pie and milk, their hands clasped in the middle of the table. Sonic and Amy's eyes met, happy for their best friends.

"They look _so cute_ together!" Amy gushed.

"Yeah..." Sonic agreed, feeling proud of his brother right then. "I'm happy for 'em..." He smiled again as Tails said something obviously funny and both of them crumbled into laughter before meeting eyes again. He shook his head before turning back to his own girl. "So, Amy... did you have anything you wanted to do today?"

"Actually... I know somewhere you've never been before," Amy said slyly.

"Heh, I doubt that," Sonic retorted playfully. "Try me."

"Alright then, c'mon."

Amy pulled Sonic away from her window and towards the gate leading to the street. The two walked in silence down the road, holding hands, the chilly wind ruffling their quills and sending more leaves cascading down around them. Amy found herself smiling and enjoying the atmosphere, but Sonic was getting a little impatient at how Amy was content to go at the slowest pace possible.

"Are we there yet?" he asked, looking around at the familiar landmarks.

She just shook her head, sending her crazy pink quills bouncing.

A few more steps and Sonic asked again. "Now?"

"No," Amy said slowly, a model of patience.

They kept walking in silence, Sonic feeling jittery and impatient, trying to figure out where in the world Amy could be taking him that he didn't already know of. As his eyes scanned the familiar trees and the leaves falling from them, he furrowed his brow impatiently.

"Amy, I'm pretty sure that-"

"Shhh," Amy shushed him. "Just be quiet and enjoy the weather for once." A smile lit up her face, giving Sonic pause at how beautiful she looked. "You go so fast that you never take the time to really see or enjoy anything, Sonic. So you may have been here before... but try to look at it with fresh eyes now that you're not rushing past it."

Sonic was about to grumble, but decided to hold his tongue and let his jade eyes drift over their surroundings. Amy was leading him away from the city, towards the forest that curved around her neighborhood. He could already see the tree line up ahead, the branches full of warm colors that contrasted so greatly with the pristine baby blue sky in the background. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about the pace of his sneakers. Sonic tried to see every leaf, every blade of grass individually instead of just one part of a blur that he was speeding by. And he had to admit... it was nice to every once in a while slow down and just enjoy life and the present moment. A smile slowly started stretching over his muzzle as he watched the path of a solitary orange leaf drifting down from the large beech tree to their left.

Noting that he'd calmed down a little, Amy turned to look at her boyfriend and squeezed his hand, glad that he was smiling.

"Isn't it so pretty out here?" she asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yep. Fall is an awesome season."

"Your favorite?" Amy guessed.

"Weeelll... I don't really have one. Probably spring, if anything, because the cool temperatures make great running weather, and all the flowers are just starting to bloom. You?"

"Summer, definitely," Amy concluded. "I like hot weather and wearing short dresses." Sonic blushed at the thought.

"Well, you look pretty in just jeans and a hoodie," Sonic said, looking over her current outfit.

"Really? Aw, thanks, Sonic!" Amy leaned up against her boyfriend lovingly.

"Yer welcome... ya know I'm the king of fashion..." he joked, referring to his own 'attire'.

It was Amy's turn to blush. "Yeah... but you _are_ going to be wearing clothes this winter, right?"

Sonic wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Uh... If I _have_ to. It's such a pain, though... I would probably end up tearing every pair of pants I'd put on."

Amy giggled, but then took on a serious expression. "Yeah, but... I don't want you to get sick."

"Me, sick? You know I never get sick, Ames. I'm well built as anything. You shouldn't be worryin' about that yet. 'Sides, look, it's only fall anyway. So... where _are _we goin' again?"

"Well, you know that there's an apple orchard right here, right?" Amy reminded him, pointing to the trees that held delicious fruit up ahead.

"Oh, right," Sonic recalled. "It _is_ apple season right now. Is that where you were thinking of heading off to?"

"Well, it's on the way," Amy said, not willing to share her surprise yet. "But the thing is, I don't know if it's an open orchard or not..." she added with a hint of worry.

Sonic shrugged. "I'm sure the owner won't mind if we take an apple or two."

With that, the two approached a nearby apple tree. Letting go of Amy's hand, Sonic jumped up through the branches to select two pieces of sweet-looking fruit. He landed back on the ground and handed Amy the red and yellow apple.

"Well, nobody shot me, so I guess I'm good," Sonic joked as he took Amy's hand again and bit into his sweet fruit.

Amy nodded and crunched into her own apple, smiling at the tangy flavor. The girl continued leading them further into the forest, hoping that she was remembering the location correctly. It'd been a while since she'd been back here, and hopefully she wasn't getting them lost. Although Sonic wasn't complaining anymore and seemed content to just look at the orange and red leaves, listen to the flickies chirp overhead, and taste his apple. Amy was about to speed the pace up when she felt Sonic throw his apple core into the line of trees they were passing. Amy turned to look at him and had to suppress a laugh at seeing that his muzzle was still covered in juices from the apple. Why was he such a messy eater? Oh well, it would just give her an excuse to...

"Oh, Sonic..." she said and threw her own half-eaten apple away to lean over and kiss him squarely on his lips, enjoying the the sugary flavor as well as Sonic's unique taste underneath it.

Sonic was caught a bit off guard, but could find no reason to pull away as Amy kissed him, pressing her lips all over his muzzle. Nah, it felt really nice, actually.

"You're such a messy eater," she teased him after pulling away and leading them off again.

"And you, missy, are a good kisser."

Amy blushed. "I learned that from _you_."

"Oh really... and here I thought I was learnin' from _you_ this whole time..."

The two met eyes and shared a laugh and then sighed contentedly. Sonic grinned but then took another sweep of their surroundings.

"So... are we just takin' a walk or do we have somewh-"

He was cut off as Amy just stopped and pointed to a sign right in front of them that read: "Welcome to Chao Garden! Feel free to play with the Chao! Please tread carefully". Behind the sign stretched an open meadow full of flowers, grass, and a few small maple trees as well as a shallow pond for the Chao to swim in. The garden held about a dozen or so of the gentle creatures.

"Ah..." Sonic said in acknowledgment. "I shoulda guessed. It's just been a while since I've been by here."

"Actually, I've never been to this one," Amy admitted. "I've always wanted to but never got around to it. I figured you might wanna go one day with me..." she looked at her boyfriend with big green eyes.

"Well sure, Chao are awesome. What're we waiting for?" he said and started heading inside, Amy right on his heels.

As soon as the hedgehog couple entered the garden, all the inhabiting chao perked up and skipped over to them, serenading them with a chorus of "Chao! Chao!"

"Hey buddy, what's up?" Sonic asked, chuckling as he picked up an orange one and held it next to his chest, petting the top of the chao's head.

"Chao!" it said happily and nuzzled into Sonic while another one lovingly brushed against his legs.

Meanwhile, Amy was petting and cuddling with an adorable yellow and green chao, who was giggling and clapping in her arms.

"Aren't they so cute, Sonic?" Amy said joyfully, glad that he'd come here with her.

"They sure are," Sonic agreed and let go of the orange one to gather up a green and purple one that was begging to be held by him. "And friendly, too."

As Amy watched the blue hedgehog play with the gentle creatures, petting them and rocking them in his arms, she just... couldn't _help_ but picture a _baby hedgehog_ in the place of the chao, being so lovingly held by Sonic. Now that she thought about it (though of course it wasn't the first time) Sonic really_ would_ make a good dad one day. Just the thought of them being married and Sonic being the father to her kids had her almost squealing.

"Ames, what is it?" Sonic asked, looking curiously over at her grin.

Amy blushed. "Oh just... thinking about our future together is all." Sonic was about to respond that they should live for the present when Amy continued with a giggle. "You're going to make a great dad."

Sonic almost dropped the chao he was holding, heated scarlet racing up his face as his jaw dropped. "Uh... er... ummm..." He hadn't the slightest clue what to say.

"You _do_ want kids, don't you, Sonic?" Amy asked, her emerald green eyes wide with hope.

"Welll, uh, I haven't really thought about it... but uh... yeah, maybe... a_ long_ time from now..."

Amy laughed again, for she loved the adorable blushing Sonic. "You're so cute and silly, Sonic..." she said, though she had been hoping for a more solid answer.

Sonic rolled his eyes a little, but turned his attention back to the chao in his arms. While going to visit a chao garden for a few hours was one thing, having his own_ kids_ was another. Marriage wasn't even on his radar at this point, not when there were so many other things he wanted to do at this age. But... who knew what would happen in the next few years? Maybe one day he_ would_ feel like settling down and having a family. There was no reason to keep Amy's hopes down, anyway.

"Well, Ames, no promises, but... you keep on dreaming and we'll see what happens, how does that sound?" Sonic offered her his trademark grin and thumbs up.

A grin that was worth the price of admission lit up Amy's face, and Sonic felt like he was glowing. "Oh Sonic thanks! I can't _wait_..."

"Yer welcome... let's have some fun _now_, huh?"

Sonic and Amy spent the next hour or so hanging out and playing with the chao, watching them race and feeding them, as the sun slipped quietly below the horizon.

"Man, the days sure are getting shorter, aren't they?" Sonic commented, studying the multi-colored sky.

"Yeah..." Amy checked the time on her phone. "It's only a little after six." As she looked at her phone she realized she had a text from Rouge and opened it up curiously.

"Hey girl, me and Knuckie at the movies, you and Sonic want to come?" it said.

Her eyes lit up in surprise, for Rouge had _never_ offered a double date with her and Sonic before.

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"Rouge sent me a text; her and Knuckles are at the movies and offered us to go with them."

Sonic shrugged, rather surprised. "Sounds good to me, if you didn't have anything else planned tonight." Amy shook her head and started texting Rouge back. "Cool. It's been a while since I've seen the Knuxter anyways." He smirked, realizing he had stuff to share with him.

Amy sent her confirmation text and looked back at Sonic. "Oh, why don't we bring Tails and Cream along too? That way we can have a _triple_ date," she suggested.

Sonic's smirk grew. "Nice thinkin' Ames."

After Amy finished calling and confirming with her two younger friends (who were still, incidentally, at her house) and the two said goodbye to the chao, Sonic wasted no time in scooping Amy into his arms and rushing off at the speed of sound.

"Man, I missed this," he thought out loud, grinning as the wind whipped through his quills and his feet were allowed to move at their natural pace.

Amy smiled and snuggled closer. "But it's only been a few hours since you've ran..."

"True... and since I spent them with you, it more than made up for it..." Sonic grinned down at his girl, whose eyes were gleaming at his words.

"Oh Sonic..."

It took only a few minutes for Sonic to bring them to the theater, though he still took a few detours just to stretch his legs. Once they arrived, it didn't take the hedgehogs that long to spot an echidna and bat hanging out by the entrance, Knuckles with his arm around Rouge as they studied the movie titles.

"Hey guys," Sonic greeted them after coming to a sudden halt. He set Amy back down and took her hand.

"Hey," Knuckles said and turned his indigo eyes to face the hedgehog couple.

"You guys pick out a movie yet?" Sonic asked.

"We're still deciding," Rouge admitted. "We were thinking of the new Halloween one that's out."

"A scary movie?" Amy asked, clutching Sonic's hand.

"Bah, it's probably not that bad," Sonic assured her, and then smirked at the echidna that was present. "It's Knux that I'm worried about. He'll probably be screaming like-"

Knuckles glared at him. "So says the guy who's afraid to go for a little swim."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sonic retorted. "It's a miracle you're even out here, Knuckles. Shouldn't you be in front of your rock right now?"

"I had Tails build me a security bot for when I go out once a week. _You_ should know, you were there, but happened to be_ distracted_."

"Once a _week_? How pathetic."

"Quality, not quantity, Sonic."

"Oh what would you know about quality time?"

Rouge watched her boyfriend and Sonic get into a fight and found herself smiling a little. She's always thought Knuckles' temper was cute. Honestly, she was glad that they were together now; she'd liked the echidna for a long time and he was by far the best guy she'd ever dated. He treated her with respect and like she was worth something. He didn't just want her as a trophy or for her body... he actually cared about _her_. And since she'd been with him, Rouge had noticed a change in herself for the better, though Knuckles still said he loved her for who she was. Though Rouge was still sarcastic, jewelry loving, sneaky, intelligent Rouge... she found herself changing, becoming less manipulative. Why, she'd even started to be more civil to _Amy_ of all people, whereas before they'd had a bit of a rivalry.

Speaking of the girl... Rouge turned to Amy, who was smiling at her own boyfriend's antics. The girl could be a brat, yes, but she wasn't that bad once you got to know her. They'd developed a pretty close friendship over the past few months since they'd all returned from that other world and Rouge had gotten together with Knuckles.

Breaking off from Sonic who was still arguing, Amy started a conversation with the bat. "Hey Rouge, thanks for inviting us."

"No problem girl. It was actually Knuckie's idea."

Amy frowned and looked at him. "Really? I thought he didn't like Sonic."

"You'd be surprised," Rouge said. "He's a guy, Amy. Guys show affection in strange ways."

Amy smiled. "Not my Sonic... he's always so _sweet._ Oh... " suddenly she remembered something. "I invited Tails and Cream along, too... they should be here any second."

"Oh okay," Rouge said casually. "Do you think Cream can handle the Halloween movie?"

Amy winced. "Uh... probably. If not, her and Tails can go to another one."

Rouge nodded and yawned a little, turning back to her boyfriend who was still verbally arguing with Sonic, though the topic had switched to sports.

"All I can say is Westside are defending champs, man," Knuckles said. "Two years _running._"

"Yeah, yeah, that was_ last year_. You know that Northtown is retooled and ready to kick some butt this year!"

"Northtown,_ really_? Talk about_ old_!"

"Experienced!" Sonic shot back.

"Boys, boys, _boys_," Rouge said, placing her hand on Knuckles' arm, which automatically soothed him. "Must you two always fight?"

Before Knuckles could answer that, Tails and Cream descended from the sky, laughing together and holding hands. Tails' two namesakes stopped twirling as he hit the ground, and one subconsciously found it's way around Cream, who gave Tails the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

" 'Bout time you two showed up," Sonic said, smirking at his younger brother who was blushing a little.

"We're here now..." Cream said, trying not to laugh at the fox tail that was tickling her arm. It did feel nice and soft, though.

"Yeah..." Amy said. "So what movie are we going to? Think you can handle a scary one for Halloween, Cream?"

The rabbit bit her lip in indecision and looked at Tails, who lifted his head up. "Don't worry Cream, I'll be here to protect you." He squeezed her hand and winked.

Cream looked at him with shiny brown eyes. "Aw, thanks, Tails. I'm sure you will."

Amy grinned at their cute exchange, but Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, it's not like this is ChainSaw or anything..."

Rouge snickered, and Knuckles started pulling out his wallet to pay for their tickets. "Don't worry guys, I got this one... " he offered.

"Aw, I'm not gonna let you pay for _me_," Sonic protested, reaching for his own cash stash. "They pay me too much anyway..."

"Hey, let me do this, will you? I'll let you buy your own moldy popcorn."

Sonic shrugged. "Fine by me." He then turned to Amy. "You holdin' up?" he asked, just now realizing he'd been ignoring her for the past few minutes.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Sonic smiled and kissed her cheek. "Good. It's been awhile since we've been here, huh?"

After the tickets were bought, the three couples separated to buy snacks. Sonic and Amy got a huge tub of popcorn, Tails bought Cream ice cream and candy, while Knuckles and Rouge shared a salty pretzel. Then they all filed into the theater, the older couple heading alone to the back while the younger pairs sat together.

"Cream, if you're feeling scared, don't be afraid to tell me, okay?" Amy told her sister as she sat down next to her.

"Yeah, or me," Tails agreed as he sat on Cream's left side, taking her hand. "This movie shouldn't be too bad, but let me know and we can leave if you want."

"Okay, I will."

"She'll be okay," Sonic said as the previews started to roll. "This movie's barely rated PG-13 anyway, it's just a thriller, not like it's all blood and gore and demon possession, ya know..."

"She's _six_, Sonic," Amy reminded him.

"True..." Sonic shot the young girl a glance. "But Tails can take care of her. _You'll _be fine, right?"

"Of course," Amy said but reached over to take his hand, smiling slyly. "But don't be surprised if I start cuddling with you during the scary parts."

"Fine by me, Ames. You can cuddle with me any time you want," Sonic said with an excited grin and gave her hand a squeeze.

As it turned out, the movie was hardly anything to scream about. There were a few creepy parts that Amy took full advantage of to Sonic's delight, but for the most part it was just a fun, thrilling way to spend a few hours. Cream did get frightened a few times, but Tails was right there to comfort her. And when she leaned into him, Tails was happy to hold her and whisper that he was there and it was just a movie. And as Cream felt his strong arms around her, she felt a lot better.

Once the movie was over, the six of them left to head on home, Knuckles and Rouge hopefully behaving themselves, Tails flying with Cream into the sky that was now replete with stars that put diamonds to shame, and Sonic running his heart out over the planet, sending the fallen leaves scattering as he zoomed past them. Once he'd gotten to Amy's house, he set her down and smiled at her.

"I hope you had a good day, Amy," he said with a tender smile.

"I did, thanks a lot, Sonic," she said and leaned forward to kiss him goodnight.

Sonic accepted her kiss and returned it with one of his own, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Well, good night then. I'll catch ya tommorrow, 'kay?"

"Good night, Sonic..." Amy said, her heart feeling utterly content as Sonic raced away from her, as he was still in her heart.

...ooo...

_Ah... what a perfect day_, Sonic thought as he settled down in a tree branch to drift off to sleep. _Doesn't get much better than this_. His mind went back over the events he'd spent with Amy, recalling each one of them in bliss: the movies, the chao garden, eating apples, rolling through the leaves-

He almost fell out of the tree as he remembered the very first thing that had happened between himself and Amy today. Her lovely voice singing that romantic song, and... her _wish_...

Sonic swallowed as he sat upright. _No way man... you're actually gonna... _Could he really... do _that_?

_Aw, why not? It won't be that hard... you've done harder things before..._

_Yeah, but... singing outside her window? Oh jeez..._

_She'll love you for it... she'll be so happy... you'll surprise her...  
_

_Ah but... _

_What's the prob man? You're Sonic the Hedgehog, you're a stud, you should be able to do this no prob! And if it's one of Amy's dreams, then you'll make her really happy!_

Sonic found his argument against doing serenading her falling flat. His eyes drifted up to the stars in seeming defeat, realizing that he really was gonna go through with this. He really was gonna serenade Amy Rose. Outside her window. Right now.

_What? Now? Can't it wait until morning? _

No, he had to do it now, before he lost his nerve and changed his mind. Amy had said she wanted it at night, under the stars, anyway. Not wasting any more time and being his typical unpredictable self, Sonic leaped out of the tree and sped off.

...ooo...

"Pst, Tails! Wake up!" Sonic shook the young fox awake.

"Huh, what?" Tails wearily opened his eyes, blinking at the three bold red numbers from the clock glaring back at him. He moaned and then noticed a hedgehog was staring down at him. "Sonic? Wha? Eggman?"

"No, I need you to look something up for me."

Tails moaned again and turned over onto his other side. "Wha - you know how to use a computer..."

"Yeah, but there's all these passwords and stuff! C'mon man, please?"

"Sonic, it's not even one in the morning, can't it _wait_?" he mumbled into the pillow.

"No man, I need it_ now_!" Sonic insisted impatiently.

Realizing this was a losing battle and Sonic wasn't going to leave him alone, Tails groaned and sat upright, brushing the sleep out of his eyes and turning on the lamp by his bed. He was always grouchy without sleep, though. "So what is so important that you need to drag me out of bed at this hour?"

Sonic felt heat come to his face, realizing this could get awkward. "I need... lyrics to a song."

Tails froze and just stared at his older brother. "Song lyrics. At one in the morning."

"_Yes!_ Now c'mon man, the faster we find them, the faster you can get to sleep!" Sonic was practially dragging Tails out of bed at this point.

Mumbling something about Sonic being the death of him, Tails swung his legs out of bed. "Alright, alright... lemme boot up the computer..."

After stretching for a second, Tails let his namesakes twirl and bring him to the computer room, a restless Sonic right behind him.

"So... what song is it, anyway?" Tails asked with weary eyes, his fingers poised over the keyboard.

"Uh... I dunno the title, but..." Sonic wracked his brain, trying to remember. "It had 'love' in it somewhere... 'falling in love' or somethin'... just type that in there... uh, Tails?" he asked uncertainly, seeing the way his little brother had froze to the spot.

Suddenly, everything clicked in Tails' brilliant and ingenious mind as he became more awake. Of course, why_ else_ would Sonic need song lyrics at this instant, at night? Duh.

And then - he started cracking up, laughing like _only_ someone caught in an impossibly funny situation (at one a.m.) could.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Sonic demanded, hating to be teased.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, Oh, Sonic, this is for _Amy_, isn't it?"

Sonic turned scarlet and slumped. "Yes, yes it's for _Amy_, now will ya -"

"Oh ho, you're gonna _sing_ to her? Serenade her? Outside her _window_? Ha ha ha ha..." Tails burst into another laughing fit at Sonic's deeper blush.

"Hey, she _asked_ me to, alright? Now will ya_ kindly_..."

Tails had almost fallen out of his chair in laughter, and Sonic just growled at him, wishing he'd never asked Tails to help him out. "Ya know what, fine. Just go back to bed. Some best friend you are... you won't be laughing when you do the same thing for _Cream_..."

"Hey," Tails managed a minor protest as Sonic started typing in search terms by himself, but then decided it wasn't worth the effort and he better head back to bed. "Well... have fun lover boy..." Tails laughed all the way back to bed.

Sonic rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the Internet. It only took him a minute to track down the lyrics and print them out, but memorizing them would prove to be harder.

_Man, the things we do for love._.. Sonic thought while shaking his head, trying to shrug off the dread that was eating at him at just the _thought_ of doing what he was about to do. But... to make Amy happy, to fulfill her dreams... there wasn't much he wouldn't do. He loved her.

...ooo...

Settling into bed after a near-perfect day was usually easy, and as Amy snuggled into her comforter, she found a dreamless sleep come quickly. But that sleep didn't last all that long, as around some early morning hour Amy heard a rather familiar, dreamy voice outside her window, singing,

.

_Why is my face turning bright red,_  
_and I can't get you out of my head_?

_Why do I have no idea what to say,_  
_And when you leave I want you to stay?_

_Why do I want you and no one else,_  
_And when you're with other boys I'm jealous?_

_Why do you keep me warmer than a glove?_  
_I think it's because I'm in love..._

_Love_

_I never knew what I was gettin' into_

_Love _

_You took me by surprise, didn't give me any clue_

_Love  
_

_It happened so fast, just out of the blue_

_Love_

_I think I'm falling in love with you..._

_.  
_

_Why is my heart beating so fast,_  
_And I can't seem to relax?_

_Why is it when you leave I feel so cold,_  
_And your eyes are shinier than gold_?

_Why am I dreaming of you day and night,_  
_and I never want to let you out of my sight?  
_

_Why is it only you that I'm thinking of?_  
_I think it's because I'm in love..._

_Love_

_I never knew what I was gettin' into_

_Love _

_You took me by surprise, didn't give me any clue_

_Love  
_

_It happened so fast, just out of the blue_

_Love_

_I think I'm falling in love with you..._

_.  
_

_Girl, you got me wonderin' why  
But my feelings I just can't deny..._

_I do believe that what I feel is true...  
Amy Rose, I think I'm falling in love with you..._

_._

_Love_

_I never knew what I was gettin' into_

_Love _

_You took me by surprise, didn't give me any clue_

_Love  
_

_It happened so fast, just out of the blue_

_Love_

_I think I'm falling in love with you..._

_._

His voice was a bit flat and off key like he'd never sang a day before in his life... but Amy absolutely_ loved_ him for trying and fulfilling her wish. _  
_

Happy tears were gently falling down Amy's face as the girl threw her covers off of her body and jumped out of bed, landing hard on the wood floor. She wasted no time in ripping the screen open on her window and diving out of it, racing to tackle her boyfriend whose frame was outlined by a streetlight. Hearing Amy approach, Sonic merely chuckled and held his arms wide open to catch her, glad that was_ over with_ and Amy had liked it.

"Sonic!" Amy squealed and then threw her arms around him. Sonic held fast, though, and didn't let either of them fall to the ground as Amy fiercely embraced him. "That was_ so_ romantic! You're such a _good singer_! And you re_mem_bered! It was all so _perfect_ just like I_ dreamed_! OH Sonic I _looove you_!" She pulled herself as close to Sonic as possible, her heart melted as she felt his warmth and love.

"I love you too, Ames... I'm glad ya liked it..." he said and ran his hands gently through her quills, smiling and knowing that he could be singing anything and Amy would love it, but since it was her favorite song... it made it that much more special.

Amy reached for the back of Sonic's head to pull him into her lips, kissing him firmly and passionately in thanks and love. Her lips brushed against his lower one, and Sonic was content to let Amy lead this time. After a few minutes of bliss, she finally released Sonic, allowing him to breathe again. But as she stared into his eyes that rivaled the stars above them, it still hadn't sunk in that Sonic the _Hedgehog_ had actually sung to her, outside her window, at night, one of the most romantic songs she'd _ever_ heard.

"Thank you..." she said again, tightly holding onto him, her eyes still wet.

"Yer welcome..." Sonic said. As hard and awkward as that had been for him... seeing Amy so happy, having her hold him and kiss him made it all totally _worth it. _

The two kept holding each other in a sweet embrace before Sonic started shifting his weight, taking a more protective role.

"Ames... you better get back to bed... it's some ungodly hour in the mornin', ya know... I woulda done it sooner but I had to memorize the lyrics, heh..."

Amy looked back up at him, but before she could protest, Sonic had gathered her in his arms bridal style and was carrying her back inside. The girl suddenly became very conscious of her silky nightgown and couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as Sonic entered her dark bedroom...

Sonic approached Amy's bed and laid the girl gently down on top of it, smiling at how pretty she must have looked right then, but couldn't see her in the lack of light. An urge bubbled up involuntarily inside of him as he stood over her, but he fought it, knowing _that_ would_ not_ be wise at this point. Instead, Sonic reached for the covers which had been thrown back to the edge of Amy's bed in her haste only minutes ago, and lovingly wrapped them around his girl, sweetly tucking her in. Amy peeked up at him in wonder, her heart racing as Sonic suddenly leaned down to kiss her chastely on the the lips.

"Good night, my Rose..." he whispered and brushed the bangs out of the eyes that were swimming in happiness, and couldn't help but smile back at her tenderly.

"Good night, Sonic..." she whispered back, but as he gave her a wink and left her to slumber, the girl was quite sure that it would be another few hours before the magical memories of Sonic's tenor voice would lull her back to sleep.

...ooo...

DAWWWWW~! Happy fluffy mushy SonAmy! EEEEEEEEEEEK! There were_ so many things_ I loved about this chapter... ^_^

This chapter started out as a tribute to my favorite season, and I wanted to write it while it still was autumn. I think I added everything I love about fall in here: apples, pumpkin pie, leaves changing color, rolling around through leaves, cooler temperatures, basketball season (Sonic and Knux's conversation is actually dated for this year's NBA ^^). I also plan on doing a winter chapter as well as a spring one when it gets to be that time. The summer one can be Chapter 7, I guess.

But it turned into much more. This story certainly has a mind of it's own. I got the idea of Sonic singing to Amy, and I realized that would have to come early in the chapter to have Amy mention it, and then have stuff happen in the meantime, and then have Sonic remember after the fact. To make it that much more romantic. And then he tucks her in. So cute! ^_^

Yes, those songs belong to me, I wrote them all by my lonesome. ^^

And I have three people to thank: 01sonamy01 for the idea to have Sonic singing to Amy (you gave it to me a while ago, but I sorta had that idea myself earlier), Samantha27 for the Chao Garden idea, and Jacklethekitsune for the encouragement to add my poetry/songs to my stories.

I also managed to squeeze three couples into this chapter... something that I haven't done since... Heroes in Love, I think... everyone seemed happy with the Taiream and begging me to write more of it, so I obliged.

By the way, I do realize that Rouge is way OOC in this story, as her and Amy aren't even close to being friends in the games. But I mostly added her because I needed an older girl to give Amy advice in the earlier chapters. And plus in Sonic X, they seem to be a little more civil to each other than in, say... Chronicles. XD

Anyway, I've figured out when this story takes place: in the Sonic X universe, after season 2 but as if season 3 never happened. So that means that Cosmo never came onto the scene, and Shadow is still "dead", so neither of them can "interfere" with these three couples... what, I'm not _smiling_, why would you think that?

I'm also considering writing a sort of prequel to this story, focusing on how Knuckles and Rouge got together in this timeline. What do you guys think? Good idea? Are you interested?

Hope you enjoyed [a very long] chapter 12!


	13. Out of the Blue

Novus Umbra, iLovePinkRomanceStory143, JackleTheKitsune, poka, Delta 2-1, 01sonamy01, fanofzeldaeclares, AutoKnight01, OddSakura, Agent-Cecilia, Mike Prower the Fox, IHeartSonAmy, Kurdave125, Writer's Freedom, GalexiatheChao, SkulY2K, cheese15624, Jonman14, Niihaltje, Mana the Cat Magician, Dreamweaver the Writer, Crails123, "Bullet" Nick:

Hey guys and gals... yes, this is actually a legit Give it a Chance chapter. Bet y'all thought this story was done for, huh? Especially since I haven't updated it in seven whole months. I thought that this story was done for too, and for a long time, while I was going through a tough emotional stretch, I was quite sure that this story in particular would personify the "old me" and therefore collect dust. I know that I said that "it's never going to end" but I meant that in the sense that I will never write an ending for this story, implying that Sonic and Amy will stay together forever (romantic, yes?)

But as I was saying, I went through major heartbreak, to the point that I didn't think I'd ever be able to write fluff or sweet romance (like is found in the earlier chapters of this story) ever again... but my heart was healed, the pieces slowly were put back together with some serious help from a very special friend of mine. Truth be told, I don't know where I'd be without him... certainly not writing this lovely story anymore. And since he's helped me out more than he really knows... I'd like to give him this present on his birthday. So thanks and happy birthday, "Bullet" Nick... this chapter really wouldn't be possible without you. I hope you, and all of my dedicated readers, enjoy this chapter.

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Out of the Blue

Late July sunshine poured out from the sun onto the world below, baking the rooftops, feeding the trees that were soaking up the rays, reflecting like magic on the surface of a lake, and burning the beige skin of a cobalt hedgehog. His jade eyes were alert, scouring the hills that he was racing over in search of something very precious. Sonic would call this his ritual if he didn't hate the word and concept so much.

He chuckled a little to himself as he continued searching. Yes, this had become something he'd done many, many times, and all for the same reason... yet every time he went searching for a beautiful flower to give to Amy to start out their date, the experience was different. He'd look through different parts of the world, in dense woods or open meadows, in foggy marshes or steamy rainforests, for different colors or sizes or shapes of flowers. He was after just anything beautiful to make Amy smile. He knew that she loved it when he did this for her, and it was certainly fun for him, so it didn't look like this practice was going to go away any time soon.

Yes, Sonic and Amy had been together for a while now and had been through a lot, but Sonic was still finding out new things he loved about Amy every day. He'd been told by his "older and wiser" friends that the love-rush was bound to die down any day, but for Sonic, he still felt like he did the first week he realized he loved Amy. Sure, there were days that he didn't feel that burning passion in his heart that made it beat up a storm... but he still felt something in his heart, a constant flame of love that melted his heart like a wax candle. And every time that the lovely pink hedgehog even crossed his mind, Sonic just had to smile. She really was his source of joy and love. His life had been fun before her, but since they'd gotten together, it had become simply amazing. They'd been out on so many fun dates and romantic adventures... Sonic had always been an avid explorer... but he found that seeing new sites with Amy in his arms just made them all so much more beautiful and enjoyable. Life was simply better when he could share it with Amy.

"Ah," he breathed with a smile as he finally found what he was looking for. His red sneakers skidded to a halt, creating a narrow trench in the parched ground. The blue hedgehog bent over, extending his white glove to take hold of the tender light green stem and gently picked it from the ground.

Sonic lifted the delicate petals up to his nose and inhaled, only to close his eyes in bliss. Yes, this was the one for today... the scent reminded him of Amy's sweet fragrance. Smiling and knowing that she'd love it, Sonic clutched the delicate blossom close to his chest to shield it from the supersonic winds created by his taking off.

Yes... he was going to see Amy now. Just the thought made his heart skip. They really didn't have any solid plans for today, but since they were in the middle of a heatwave, it was more than likely going to include ice cream or air conditioning. Sonic really didn't care what they did, as long as he was with Amy...

... ~ ...

Even though Amy had slathered sticky, smelly, thick sunscreen all over her arms and legs, she still felt like her whole body was just melting from the intense heat bearing down on her. Beads of shiny sweat made her thin clothes cling to her body. Usually Amy loved summer... but that was mostly for the sweet ice cream and swims in the lake and wearing cute clothes. These sweaty dog days she would pass on.

And Sonic... well, he had been away for a while. Amy missed him, of course, but since they'd been dating for just about a year now, she'd come to trust Sonic. They'd been through a lot together, and sometimes he would take little trips, leaving Amy for a few days... but no matter what, Amy always had faith that he'd come back to her. Because he promised that he would. And besides, she knew how much Sonic needed to explore and not stay put... it was something that she loved about him. And Amy wouldn't trade him for the world. And she knew it was good to miss him once in a while, it made the times she did get to spend with him so much better, and it guarded against them getting bored with seeing each other all the time... but that still didn't mean that she didn't miss him when he left her. Sometimes it was really hard to keep such a long-distance relationship, with him being so far away... and she couldn't always hug him or love him whenever she wanted. Sometimes, she just needed love, and he wasn't always physically with her. But she knew... that he was always in her heart. And that he would never leave her, because he loved her so much and he'd promised to always be with her...

Amy groaned and threw her now-dry Popsicle stick onto the grass. She licked her lips and enjoyed the fading cold cherry sweetness left over from the frozen treat. It had helped cool her mouth down, but the girl was still sweating.

Just when she started contemplating going back inside, a cool, intense breeze washed over her body. Knowing that there was only one thing to create that strong of a breeze on such a humid day, Amy grinned and lowered her sunglasses to behold her Sonic.

"Hiya Ames," Sonic said with a tender smile as he lovingly looked at his girlfriend.

Although Amy had been miserable just a minute ago, the sight of her cool blue boyfriend was enough for her face to light up in joy and she launched herself at him, crushing Sonic in a bear hug.

Expecting just that response, Sonic accepted her warm hug and pulled her even closer with his one free hand. Amy let out a happy moan as she nuzzled into his chest and neck. It was amazing how he'd been running in this heat, and yet didn't have a drop of sweat on him. Feeling her heart beat in joy and passion at embracing him, Amy started kissing his neck, letting her lips caress his skin, then the side of his soft, cute face. Sonic felt himself smiling and blushing at Amy's tender displays of affection. Her lips were so soft as they gently made their presence felt across his face.

Finally, he couldn't help it any longer, and turned his head to capture Amy's lips in his own. The contact took his breath away, and his heart melted into a warmness unlike anything. Sonic loved the way Amy kissed him, whether it was deep and passionate or gentle and tender like it was now. Either way, she just made him feel so wonderful that he could hardly breathe... and made his heart beat so fast, even for him... and the way she held him, and touched his back-quills... he shivered in pleasure, as it was almost too much.

He felt tingles race up and down his body as he held Amy as close to himself as possible. She felt so delicate in his arms, and yet he could feel strength emanating from her - her heart beating so quickly. He could feel the strong, steady rhythm against his chest, matching his own heartbeat. An energizing feeling overcame the hedgehog just then, but instead of making him want to run as usual, he just wanted to stay right here, holding Amy close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her so affectionately...

Sonic's free hand traveled up and down Amy's back, affectionately rubbing it and showing her how he really felt. He would never get tired of holding Amy and feeling her love him. He'd never thought that he'd come to love and want a girl as much as he loved Amy...

Their kiss finally ended, but the tender moment continued as Amy leaned her forehead against Sonic's. Their two shades of green eyes met, and Amy moved her hand from Sonic's quills, relaxing her needing grab to a tender embrace, moving her hand up to touch Sonic's handsome face, touching his skin.

"Good to see you," Sonic breathed while they were still nose-to-nose and searching each other's eyes.

Amy nodded slightly so she wouldn't ruin the moment. "I missed you..."

"I missed you more," Sonic teased, and smiled under Amy's hand, relishing her gentle touch.

Amy smiled then turned away with a pretty pink blush, but soon missed his loving gaze and turned back to study his dazzling jade eyes.

"I love you," Sonic whispered and brushed the bang-quills out of her eyes.

"I love you, too..." Amy whispered back, and found it impossible to stop smiling. "I'm glad that you came back to see me..."

"You know I'd never leave you, Amy..." the male hedgehog promised. "I may not be here with you all the time... but you're always in my heart... and I'm always thinkin' about ya..." He smiled wider as Amy's face grew even more pink. "Which reminds me..."

He moved his hand from Amy's back and reached into his back-quills to fondle the stem of the flower he'd picked this morning, and then pulled it out to offer it to his girl.

Then... it was the moment Sonic loved so much - her gorgeous eyes lit up, her sweet lips parted, and an expression of pure happiness washed over her lovely face.

"Oh_ Sonic_!..." Amy squealed, "Thank you... it's beautiful..." As her eyes pricked with happy tears, Amy reached to take the flower, letting his hands fold over hers so they both held the blossom. It was a soft lavender color, and had four slender petals that bordered the darker plum-colored pollen center.

"I picked it just for you, Amy... only for you..." he whispered and caressed her hands warmly.

Amy couldn't stop the droplet from cascading down her cheek at hearing such tender words from her boyfriend. Sonic wasn't always this romantic with her... but he knew that she loved it so much that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone to be so tender with her. He was certainly getting much better at it, since they'd been together for so long. He knew just how to make her happy.

"Thank you..."

"Yer welcome," Sonic said and smiled again while squeezing her hands. He then released his grip, but took the flower from Amy's hands and placed it behind her ear, tucking it under her headband. "There, now you look even more pretty..."

Amy wasn't sure how much more she could blush... she just loved Sonic so much...

"So... what have you been up to?" Sonic asked and looked over her cute outfit. "Getting a tan?"

"Burning up is more like it," Amy grumbled and suddenly remembered how miserable she was earlier. It was amazing how Sonic could make her forget her pain.

"Yeah, it is a hot one," Sonic admitted and looked up at the hazy sky, wincing at the harsh sun glaring back at him. Now that he had stopped running, he was starting to feel the scorching effects as well.

"I guess we could go inside to the a/c," Amy suggested, but Sonic immediately shook his head, as he was never a fan of being indoors if he didn't have to be.

"No... I actually have a better idea, Ames..."

And then Sonic turned to his girlfriend with_ that_ look - his heart-melting grin and gleam in his eyes. As soon as the pink hedgehog saw his expression, she had to smile - it meant that Sonic had an idea... and they were about to go on an amazing date.

"I know _just_ how we can cool down," Sonic said, and, with his jade eyes gleaming mischievously, quickly but gently gathered Amy into his arms, and took off at the speed of sound.

Amy clutched close to Sonic, feeling safe with his arms around her, settling in for a long ride. She'd come to know Sonic's strides well, as she'd been held in his arms while he carried her somewhere many times. She could tell whether they were headed only a short distance or for a few hour trip. And by the way Sonic seemed settled into his rhythm of running, Amy could tell this would take a while. Not that she minded... she was close to Sonic and could rest her head against him, hug him close to her, and he was holding onto her strongly as well, as if he never wanted to let her go.

Amy knew that she was actually taking a bit of a risk and making herself very vulnerable by letting Sonic hold her like this and run at incredible speeds... if she slipped out of his arms, she'd be done for. But Amy never worried about that and fully trusted Sonic with her safety. He would let himself take the fall before he let go of her.

In fact, since she could tell that they were in for a long ride, she was actually comfortable enough to settle in for a nap, with Sonic's heartbeat and pumping feet lulling her to sleep. His furry chest was a nice pillow, and his arms were a firm yet warm blanket surrounding her.

Sonic had to smile when he took his eyes off the road for an instant and looked down at his girl, only to see that she'd shut her eyes. Not only did she look so cute and serene when she slept, but he was touched that she felt safe enough to doze off when he was carrying her. He pulled her body tighter against himself and whispered,

"Sleep well, my sweet Rose... we got a long way to go..."

... ~ ...

A change in Sonic's previously steady gait startled and woke Amy from her slumber. When the girl opened her eyes, all she saw was white and dark green and brown streaks surrounding her environment. A cold chill crawled over her skin and sprouted goosebumps along her arms and legs. She blinked and wiggled around, disoriented until she remembered that she was safely in Sonic's arms, and he was carrying her somewhere...

She blinked again and groggily looked up at Sonic - only to see that his mouth was open, as if he was winded; she could actually see visible breaths coming in and out in vapor form...

Sonic felt Amy's confused gaze on his face, and looked down at her and smiled to see his sleeping beauty wake up.

"Sonic, where are we?" Amy asked, bewildered and unable to make sense of where they were. She could feel Sonic slowing down even more, so she could start making out the landscape.

"Well, Ames..." his grin widened. "You said you wanted to cool down... is this cold enough for you?"

His feet slowed down to what was basically a crawl for the hedgehog, so both of them could fully see where they were. In a suburban town, with snow covering the ground and clinging to the slanted roofs of the frozen houses. And that's when it really hit Amy, as the girl studied the icicles hanging from gutters... Sonic had actually taken her to the nearest pole of the planet, to a place where it was always cold at this time of the year. That's why he'd been running for so long. He'd actually really wanted to get her as far away from the miserable heatwave as possible.

"Sonic..." she breathed and smiled. "You're so..." A giggle escaped her lips as she looked around at the beautiful snow-covered evergreens they were zooming past. "You're too much..."

This was one of the (many) reasons Amy loved Sonic. He knew just how to cheer her up in his own unique way. He was fun, adventurous, over the top, impulsive, and changed his mind at the drop of a hat. There was no question that Amy Rose was a dreamer... and Sonic knew just what to do to make her happy. She loved him... so very much...

He outdid her wildest dreams.

"Sonic... how in the world did you get this idea?" Amy asked, her eyes scanning the snow covered ground.

"I dunno... it just sorta came to me out of the blue," Sonic confessed. "I was feeling hot, and you were miserable, and I figured... well, why not go to a place where it's cold instead?"

Amy nodded, and as Sonic started slowing down even more, so she could make out more of the landscape... and also feel the full blast of the arctic air. Her body suddenly started shivering, as she was wearing only shorts and a thin tank top, certainly not enough to shield her from the harsh wind. She clutched closer to her boyfriend's furry chest almost on instinct.

Feeling his girl start shivering and clutching closer to him, trying to absorb his warmth, Sonic suddenly realized what he'd done and cursed himself in his head. What was he thinking, taking such a lightly clothed girl to a place of perpetual winter? Oh man... he really never was one to plan things out, but this was just _dumb_... any minute now she would explode in anger...

"You know..." Sonic said with a blush and turned to head back home. "... this might not have been such a good idea after all..."

"No, don't turn around, it's a great idea," Amy protested and clung to his somehow-warm fur. "We just have to find a clothes store so we can get dressed properly."

Oh, right. Sonic nodded and turned on a dime again to head back towards the nearest town. He could feel the cold, wet snow from the flakes start sticking to his fur, and figured Amy was probably freezing. His jade eyes once again went into search mode, scanning and classifying the buildings that they passed.

_Restaurant... church... pharmacy... restaurant... hotel... gas station... supermarket... clothes store. Bingo._

"Here we go," Sonic said and turned to burst through the double doors.

A blast of pleasantly warm air embraced both hedgehogs as they went inside the store. Sonic set Amy back down on her flip-flop clad feet, and the girl took off like a rocket, ready to scan the shelves.

"I've never been here before," Amy gushed, her eyes suddenly wide and bright with excitment. "Oh, and they have _such_ cute clothes here! Oh my _gosh_, Sonic!" Amy removed a lemon colored sweater from the rack and held it up to her boyfriend. "Isn't this the most adorable sweater you've _ever seen_? I_ love_ the style they have here!"

Sonic couldn't help but smile fondly as he watched his girlfriend go crazy all over the store... he knew that she loved clothes shopping, and she must have gotten tired of shopping at the same old stores back home. And so this must be a real treat for her.

Not surprisingly, they ended up spending the next hour in the store, with Amy selecting thermal underclothes, snow pants, a warm coat, fuzzy-lined boots and gloves, and a warm knitted hat. Sonic practically refused to buy anything for himself, save for a big, fluffy scarf; a hat; and a fleece jacket, claiming that his legs would stay warm no matter what, and any pants he wore would just tear if he tried to put them on.

Of course, Amy, being Amy, protested because she cared about him so much. "But what if you get cold?" she asked with her emerald eyes so big.

"Well..." Sonic had said, squeezing her hand while they waited in line. "Then I'll just have to hug you, won't I?"

And with that comment and a pink blush from Amy, the hedgehogs paid for their warm clothes and changed into the them. After they were sufficiently dressed for the weather, they took hands to walk down the street together, letting the snowflakes gently fall on them and stuck their tongues out to catch them.

"It's funny, this is the type of stuff that you miss in summer but get tired of in winter," Sonic said, referring to the cold temperature and snowbanks lining the brick sidewalk.

"Yeah..." Amy smiled. "But thanks to you, we don't have to be trapped in a single season, we get to enjoy whichever one we want to..."

Sonic nodded. "Yep... I'm very lucky, Ames... to be able to do stuff like this for ya..."

Amy nodded and looked up at the sky, only to frown when she saw how low on the horizon the sun was. It was way later than she thought. Sure, they'd killed a few hours in the trip here, but still...

Following her gaze, Sonic squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it is pretty late. It's true that the trip took a while, but ya gotta remember that on this part of the globe at this time of the year, daylight is very short because of the way the sun hits the planet and the angles and all that. In a month or so, they won't have any sunshine at all, even at noon. And in six months, then the sun will never set, even at midnight. Tails told me all about that one day, when I asked him about it. It was one of the few times I could actually listen completely to his explanation."

"So that means we only have like an hour or so before it gets dark and even colder," Amy realized.

"Yeah... so what do you wanna do first, Ames?" Sonic asked, anxious to make the most of out of this time together.

The girl looked around the unfamiliar city and noticed a nearby park, with freshly fallen snow covering the ground. "What did you have in mind by bringing me up here?"

Sonic shrugged. "Not really anything, just to help both of us cool down. I guess we could play in the snow for a while. If you want."

A giggle escaped Amy, and she immediately headed for the park, tugging the blue hedgehog behind her. "Let's build a snowman, Sonic," she said and bent down to start gathering up snow to make the body.

Right behind her in an instant, Sonic gathered his own snow. "No, let's make two of them."

"Oh, yeah," Amy agreed. "And then we'll find branches for the arms so that they can hold hands... and they'll be me and you..." her eyes glazed over in dreamy fashion.

Sonic chuckled and set his medium sized snowball on the ground and started rolling it around, letting the snow accumulate and allow it to grow. The snow was the perfect consistency for this - not full of ice and hard nor powdery and light, but very packable and firm. It'd been a while since he'd done smething like this... certainly not during the past few winters. It just wasn't something that he did often... but now that he was, it was a lot of fun.

After gathering the base of the body, Sonic started on the stomach, building up a ball a little smaller and placing it on top. Next came the head.

"Done," Sonic said triumphantly, looking over the three white round spheres stacked on top of each other.

"Are you putting quills on yours?" Amy suddenly asked, turning from her own snowman.

"I didn't even think about that..." Sonic said and bit his lip. "I guess... yeah, but... I don't know if they would stay on if I made them out of snow..."

"Well, I was going to use pinecones," Amy said and pointed to a nearby evergreen tree, where pinecones scattered the base of it.

"Oh, genius idea Ames," Sonic said and zoomed over to the tree. Normally he hated running in snow, as it slowed him down terribly, but now he hardly felt it, as they'd used most of the snow in building their snowmen. He gathered a bunch of pinecones in his arms and then brought them back to Amy, setting them on the ground next to her.

"Here ya go... I'm gonna get those branches for arms now," Sonic said and took off to search through the park for four branches resembling arms and hands. Since the park was actually decently sized, it wasn't hard to find trees - the trick was digging through the snow to get the branches. Luckily, Sonic had gloves on, and was hardy and fairly resistant to the elements, so it hardly bothered him. In few minutes, he'd managed to gather the arms and bring them back to Amy. The girl already had stuck the pinecones into the heads of the snowmen, making them look more like hedgehogs.

"Nice work, Ames..."

"Thanks... the ones with the longer pinecones is supposed to be you."

They took the limbs and inserted them into each side of the snowmen, making sure that their "hands" were linked on one side.

"Aw, look at them, they're just like you and me, Sonic!" Amy gushed and squeezed her boyfriend's real hand. "They're so cute together, just like us..."

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah... they need faces, though... let's see what else we can find."

After a little more searching, Sonic and Amy were able to find natural accessories for their snowmen, giving them bright and happy faces. But just as Sonic turned to start putting the finishing touches on his snowman, he suddenly felt a shock of snow and ice hit him square in the back. He whipped his head around just in time to see Amy turn away to try and appear innocent. Sonic smirked.

_Oh, it's **on** now, Amy..._

He bent to gather and pack up the perfect ball of snow, and then slung it so it hit Amy on her shoulder blade. The girl gasped, but couldn't help but smile that Sonic was willing to play with her. She forced an angry pout on her face and turned to Sonic, though by this time he'd turned away and was whistling innocently.

"Sonic! What was that for?" she demanded playfully.

"What was what for?" he asked, battling a smile.

"You threw a snowball at me! And it hurt!" Amy protested, her face red.

"I didn't throw a snowball at you," he said, crossing his fingers.

"Sonic! You did too!" She protested. "I felt it, it hit me right here!" She pointed to her back.

"Musta been the snowman," he joked and chuckled.

"_So_-_nic_!" Amy whined, and then gathered a huge snowball and chucked it right at her laughing boyfriend.

He dodged it easily enough, but then ducked down to form his own snowball in retaliation, and whipped it right at Amy. By that time, Amy had gathered up three mini snowballs, and used her hammer to shoot them straight at Sonic. After a few more rounds, with each throw causing more and more laughter between them, they both finally collapsed into the snow, giggling crazily.

"Man," Sonic said when he'd finally caught his breath. "It's been a while since I've had that much fun."

"I know, same here," Amy said and turned to smile at him. "I can only have that much fun with you, Sonic..."

Her boyfriend grinned at her, and then sat back upright, knowing that they couldn't stay laying in the snow for long.

"C'mon, Ames, I don't want you to freeze," he said, taking her hand to lift her up off the ground. "You've been outside for a long time now."

"Me? You're the one who's hardly dressed..." Amy protested, still worried about Sonic.

"Well..." a sly grin appeared over his muzzle, and he took a step forward. "I actually am a little cold..."

Matching his smile, Amy stepped forward as well, erasing all space between them. "That's okay," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling Sonic so close that their chests touched and their lips were less than an inch apart. "I can share some of my warmth with you..."

Suddenly wanting to be close to him like nothing else, Amy puckered her lips and pressed them against Sonic's, her mind and body tingling once again from the rush of pleasure. She felt him pull her close as well, his hands holding her strongly against himself. She could feel his love and desire, shown in the way he was kissing her so strongly... his lips closed and opened on top of her own, dousing them in bliss. And she kissed him back in passion... as there was no one she loved and wanted more than Sonic, no one else could make her feel this way, no one else could understand her, no one else could she share her heart or life with like she could with him... no one else but the hedgehog here in her arms, holding her so strongly yet gently. She loved him so much... her heart was just pounding against her chest, almost as if it was longing to be free to zoom out of her body and fly through the sky along with Sonic's heart...

Their kiss broke, leaving the two breathless and full of emotions. They locked eyes, panting heavily, sharing an intense, deep love in that gaze. Sonic raised his hands from around Amy's waist to run them through her silky quills.

"I love you, Amy..." Sonic said tenderly, meaning every word.

"I love you, Sonic..." she said in return. "I love you so much..."

He nodded and then pulled Amy against himself again, and she rested her head on his shoulder, running her hands up and down his back lovingly.

"Awww..." Amy said as she leaned against him, noticing the way the sky was starting to take on an orange tint. "I can already see the sunset. I guess we better head home then, it'll take a few hours before we get there."

"Well..." Sonic cleared his throat. "Thing is, it's too dark for me to run all the way back home... it'd be too dangerous," Sonic admitted. "I've run in the dark before, but that's only in places where I know the terrain very well... here I don't."

Amy blinked as the implication registered in her mind. "So that means..."

"We have to spend the night here, together..." Sonic blushed at that thought.

Amy smiled. "Wouldn't hurt me any... to sleep in your arms..."

"Really?" Sonic asked.

"Of course not, Sonic... we'll be able to keep each warm and it's not like we have to... you know..." she suddenly found herself blushing as well.

"Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't do that to you..." Sonic reassured, suddenly feeling very awkward. He shifted his weight. "But anyway… let's see if we can find a place to stay close by… I don't want to be on the streets at night."

He released Amy from the warm hug, and took her hand to lead her down the streets that were bathed in twilight. They didn't have to walk far before they came upon a hotel. After Sonic had secured them a room, they headed back out to eat a nice warm meal at the restaurant next door. While they ate, the hedgehogs were able to watch the sun sink behind the horizon, leaving streaks of orange and gold in its wake. After sharing steamy hot chocolate for dessert, Sonic and Amy headed back to their room to spend the night together.

After shedding her cold, wet outer clothes and just wearing her thermals, Amy climbed into bed with her boyfriend, settling under the warm covers into an even warmer embrace. She snuggled into Sonic's arms and nuzzled against his chest, loving the way he held her so closely. He was so strong... she felt so incredibly safe when he was holding her, and she loved how much they were touching. His body felt amazing against hers - he was lean, but still had muscles. And he fit against her perfectly, as if they'd been made to fit together... she nuzzled into him again, relishing the lovely feeling in her heart. Why was it that Sonic could make her feel so good? What they felt and shared was simply beyond words... it was just two hearts beating in synch, as they were even closer than they'd ever been before.

"Good night, Amy..." Sonic whispered into her ear in the dark intimacy.

"Good night, Sonic... I love you."

"I love you too... sweet dreams."

And then, feeling more safe, warm, and happy than ever while resting in Sonic's loving embrace, the girl allowed herself to sleep.

... ~ ...

"Amy..."

A deep voice broke her sleep... Sonic was gently shaking her awake.

"Wha...?" she asked groggily, wondering what reason Sonic would have to disturb her peaceful slumber. She'd felt so comfortable in his arms, like she could stay there forever, feeling his love and warmth and heartbeat...

"C'mon, I gotta show you something..." he asked, his voice suddenly high in excitement.

Amy groaned again, and Sonic felt a little guilty for disturbing her... but he also knew that this would be well worth it. There was something he'd just remembered and thought of as soon as they'd settled down to sleep. He'd allowed Amy to sleep for a few hours, and he'd enjoyed feeling her so close to him, watching her sleep and hearing her breaths come in and out so peacefully... but he knew that this was something he absolutely HAD to show her.

As gently as he could, he readjusted Amy to pull her into his firm grip and then stood up, stretching his stiff limbs. Amy moaned again and clutched tighter to her boyfriend's chest, only wanting to rest in his arms. She felt Sonic start out with a jog to cross the open room, and then broke into a full out run as soon as he exited their room and the hotel itself.

The chill of the night air hit both hedgehogs, but the tighter Amy held to Sonic and the faster he went, the less she felt it. Guided by nothing but dim streetlights, Sonic headed out of the city. He actually wanted to go to a place where it was dark as possible, meaning that the city and all the neon lights it had were not his friend right now. Sure, it wasn't safe to run when he couldn't see so well, but the hedgehog went a little slower than usual just to be safe.

"Sonic..."

He felt Amy groan again in his arms, and Sonic pulled her closer to himself.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked him groggily. "Why can't we just go back to _bed_? I know the stars are pretty but... "

"Just hang on for a moment, Amy... " Sonic promised. "I think... we're almost there."

Now guided by nothing but the stars, Sonic squinted into the inky darkness, looking for any familiar landmarks. He'd been out here before, a while ago, and discovered something so absolutely amazing that he just had to share with his girlfriend. Sonic finally came to a stop in the cold night air, figuring this was about where he was last time. He sure hoped that it would happen tonight... but this event was about as unpredictable as himself. He would hate to drag Amy out of bed and then come up empty...

The two hedgehogs waited in perfect silence for about a minute, and Sonic was all but ready to give up when a sudden light flashed and swirled across the sky. It was aquamarine-teal in color, and it covered the whole sky in flame-shaped tendrils of light.

_"Sonic.._." Amy breathed, hypnotized by the breathtaking lights in the sky and suddenly fully awake.

"You see that?" Sonic asked, relieved that the aurora lights were visible right now. They'd lucked out.

"Oh my gosh... wow... that's_ amazing._.." the girl gushed, fully enjoying the light show in the sky.

"Do you like it?" he asked, suddenly glad that he had brought her out here.

"Yes... it's so beautiful... and so _romantic_..."

Her eyes watched the swirling lights in the sky, in complete awe. The lights covered the whole sky, shimmering in beautiful alternating waves of light and the dark sky sprinkled with stars behind them.

"I've seen these aurora lights many times, whenever I find myself on this end of the planet... and they never fail to make me stop and appreciate them..." Sonic said softly, his eyes still on the aurora. "But I knew that you'd love to see them... even if I had ta drag ya outta bed."

"Oh Sonic..." Amy gushed and turned to look into his eyes. She found that even the shimmering, bright green aurora lights could not compare to the love she found shining back at her from Sonic's jade orbs. She felt a wave of pleasure consume her as he leaned forward to touch her lips with his own. And as their lips started their loving, passionate dance... the heavens above danced in rejoicing and approval as well, shown by the amazing shimmers of green and pink swirling in front of the stars.

And suddenly... it didn't matter that it was cold or an ungodly hour in the morning... the frigid air did nothing to quell the warmth in Amy's heart, that came from being loved and so close to Sonic, feeling his love and heart against hers. And she didn't care what time it was... as long as she was in Sonic's arms, the minutes became eternity. He meant so much to her... and it didn't matter where she was... when Sonic was holding her... everything faded into nothing but pure love. She loved him - he was her everything. And for so long, she had dreamed of the day he'd finally give her a chance... and now, she could only stand in awe of how far they'd come in just about year. They were growing closer every day, with every hug and kiss and blush and date and special moment that they shared together... and Amy could hardly fathom what the future had in store for her and Sonic... but she just knew that it would be wonderful. And in the meantime, they shared a wonderful love incomparable to anything else...

After standing under the amazing heavenly display in nothing but awe, the two hedgehogs finally made their way home, their way illuminated by the silver dawn.

... ~ ...

**Author's Notes**: Sorry for the ego trip at the end there, but I couldn't resist that line (after all, aurora does mean dawn). And I have to thank Writer's Freedom for the idea to use the aurora (Northern Lights [or Southern Lights for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere])... but the rest of it was all my idea. I wanted to do a winter chapter for a while, but this past winter was not kind to me and I couldn't write a chapter like this a few months ago...and so I went with a hybrid chapter with it being hot and summery and yet I still got to do the winter stuff. It's more unique this way as well. Either way... I love this chapter. And it really came straight from my heart...


End file.
